Why are you in my house?
by Hyperopia
Summary: Harry and Narcissa romance, several years after the battle for Hogwarts, Harry's marriage to Ginny is on the rocks, a chance meeting in Grimmauld place changes everything. This is my first ever fan fic, I hope people like my effort, all comments, suggestions and story ideas welcomed
1. Chapter 1

**War changes everything**

**Chapter One**

He had been stood there for what seemed like hours, a clock chimed somewhere deep in the house, it gave no hint of the time. The clutched tumbler of drink untouched, the ice long melted, head resting lightly on the grubby window, rarely did anyone pass by, and when they did, they never looked towards the building.

He hated this place, should hate it, but the more time spent here the more it became bearable, Kreacher had found a new lease of life, the house was beginning to regain some of its former glory, helped in part by the discovery that Regulus Black was a hero, with his name cleared and intervention from the elf, even Walburga Black's portrait ceased screaming obscenities whenever he passed, it seemed that Half-bloods were tolerable.

Swilling the amber liquid a few times the drink is finished off in three measured gulps, a sharp exhalation brought about from the strong alcohol burning a path to the young man's stomach, is the only sound. Light is fading as night draws in, he stretches briefly, reinvigorating the tired muscles throughout his body, then settles back against the window.

In the kitchen a fire is blazing, shadows dance along the floor and walls, the clock ticks and tocks closer to the next hour, the grand timepiece drowns out the steady dripping of the tap. The flames in the hearth double in size turning a vivid shade of green, a spinning figure appears in the flames and steps out into the kitchen.

A subtle wave of the newcomers hand and the lamps lining the room flare into life, the shadows flee, seeking new places to dance and twist in the uneven flickering of many lamps, the dark corners seem darker. The figure drops the hood and removes the light cloak, laying it over the back of a well used, wooden chair.

The woman is beautiful, she smooths down her robes despite them being immaculate, red fingernails catch the light, her hair is tied up in a loose bun, expensive jewels twinkle in the light, like silvery tears dripping from each earlobe, she approaches the mirror hanging on the wall, heels click sharply on the tiles, she straightens her necklace and smiles, ice blue eyes sparkle, she moistens red lips with the tip of her tongue.

The kitchen is simple, a huge range style oven occupies most of one wall, set back into an alcove, handsome wooden beams line the ceiling, pots and pans hanging from large iron hooks, the large dining table can easily accommodate 8 people, newspapers are scattered across it, there is a mug and the remains of a small meal for one.

The elegant woman clicks her fingers, with a loud pop an extraordinary creature appears, and bows down so low his nose brushes against the tiled floor

"Mistress, a pleasure, how may Kreacher serve you?"

"Just a drink please"

With a click of long fingers a glass appears and fills with a clear liquid, on closer inspection, many colours can be seen within the fluid, the woman takes the proffered wine glass and allows herself a sip, her eyes flutter closed as she savours the drink.

"Will that be all, Mistress?"

"Yes, thank you, Kreacher"

"The master is upstairs"

With that the odd creature disappears with another loud pop. Glass firmly in hand she crosses the room and opens the door, climbing a flight of stairs and exiting into a long hallway, taking a slight decoy, she gazes at the sleeping figure of her Aunt, the severe looking woman's eyes flick open, darting left and right before resting on the face in front of her, the picture smiles, it looks quite unnatural, as if it's not an oft used expression.

"My darling Niece, so good to see a member of the most noble and ancient house of Black"

"Hello Auntie, it's nice to be able to visit again" she smiles at the venerable old woman

"You're here to see the half-blood" she chews on the word like it leaves a bad taste "He is growing on me, he wants to restore the house to its former condition, Regulus would be pleased"

Taking leave of her Aunt, the woman glides to the staircase and slowly climbs up to the upper floors, walking down a richly decorated hallway, the door at the end is ajar, breathing quietly and slowing her steps she creeps to the opening, the room is unlit, the street lights outside cast harsh orange light through the room, the leaded windows splitting the beams, casting criss crossing black shadows.

The man stands as still as a statue, if he is aware of the others presence, he doesn't show it, she can't help but watch, building up courage, the doors opens fully with barely a whisper, thick carpet masking her foot falls, standing only inches apart, she closes the gap, an arm snakes around the man's waist and she pulls them together, he doesn't flinch to the unexpected touch, choosing to lean into it instead.

"You came" he says, a trace of surprise in his voice

"I always do, and you always seem surprised" she replies with amusement

"Will you be missed" the concern in his tone evident

"Not even a little bit, What about you?"

"No, being the head of the Department of Mysteries has its advantages, antisocial working hours and only a few people are privy to my comings and goings"

The woman sighs contentedly, gently turning the young man to face her, despite the messy hair and stubble, he is very handsome, the residue of the war remained, but in some ways he looked all the better for it, emerald green eyes meet ice blue.

"Do you feel at all guilty?" it's asked quite innocently

"Must we do this every time?" she does her best to hide her irritation

"I'm sorry" he says sincerely "I guess I let the mood of this place get to me, I'm working on it, after all it was left to me and I think I could be happy here"

"What about Ginerva?"

"I can't carry on, it's different now, so much has changed, we aren't teenagers any more, I am planning on leaving her" the woman looks shocked

"What about you?"

"I hope you already know"

Removing his wand from the front pocket of well worn jeans, a quick flick lights the room and draws the curtains, with his free hand he takes the hand of the woman, linking fingers, and leads her gently to the comfortable looking couch, he sits down and pulls the woman onto his lap, she lets out a small shriek at the sensation of free falling.

Recovering from the shock, she adjusts herself to a more relaxed position, back leaning against the arm, her eyes close as a warm hand caresses her cheek, he leans up to the woman and places a kiss on her lips, smiling at her young lover she recaptures his mouth with her own and deepens the kiss.

They break apart, sucking in deep breaths of air, a flush on their cheeks, touching foreheads, gazing into each others eyes.

"I have missed you"

"I missed you too, have you eaten? I can get Kreacher to sort something out"

"No thanks, it's fine, I ate before I left" she kisses him lightly on his temple

"Let's turn in, its been a long day"

Sliding from beneath the woman's legs, he stands, stretching slightly, offering his hand, she gladly takes it, he slips an arm around her waist and the leave the room, the lamps extinguish.

The lights along the hallways are burning brightly, and up to the third floor, the first door belongs to Regulus and is now used solely by the house elf as some kind of shrine to the man, Harry doesn't mind, the house is plenty big enough, reaching the fourth door, he opens it allowing the woman to pass and enter.

"It looks fantastic, although it's a bit Gryffindor for my tastes"

"I hoped you'd like it, I had you in mind when I was making it fit for purpose, and the drapes and trimmings around the bed are green and silver"

"I love it"

The room looks positively regal, a deep red carpet covers the floor, the back wall is dominated by an impressive bed, the bedside tables, wardrobes, desk, dressing table and chairs are all fashioned from mahogany. She walks to the bed and sits down, it feels perfect, she watches the young man take off his clothes, he's still skinny, its offset by well toned muscles, he pads over to the bathroom in just a pair of black briefs.

Narcissa was happy, happier than she could remember, she felt young, she supposed she had Harry to thank for that, she hadn't planned on having an affair, or ever seeing any of the golden trio ever again, but things had a funny way of working themselves out. She thought back to the day that had started off the chain of events that led to this moment in time.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N : I forgot to say that I own nothing and no money has been made from this fic.

**Chapter Two**

It had been a long day, rain ran in rivers down the ornate window as Narcissa stared out into the bleak grey, shadows moved outside despite the downpour, a full detail of Aurors. She was grateful, things could have been worse, Draco was safe and thanks to the Boy-Who-Lived-Again, this would all blow over in time.

Lucius, despite all his faults and in spite of his cowardice, had managed, possibly the bravest act of his life, he took full blame and will never leave Azkaban alive. The ministry had transferred all assets to Narcissa and Draco, she had enjoyed a stress free divorce and took back her family name, Draco decided to stay as a Malfoy, not through any loyalty to his father, just as preference.

Months and months of ministry meetings were weighing heavy, the manor repeatedly searched, but finally that part of the process had ended, the Aurors were a necessary evil while the remaining followers of the Dark Lord were rounded up, she had discovered at one of the many meetings that Potter had insisted on it.

Draco had forged a life of his own, met a lovely half-blood and moved in together, he had been recruited into the department of mysteries purely on his own merit, she was pleased, it gave her comfort and another debt to the golden trio. Mostly Narcissa was lonely, and the manor is a big place for one person, she thought about building bridges with Andromeda, but the grief she must be suffering is still far too raw.

Leaving her vantage point from the upper storey window, Narcissa heads down the grand staircase, nails clicking gently against the ornate bannister, crossing the hall with a sharp clicking of heels she pushes open the door in front of her and steps into the room.

'Incendio' the chandelier bursts into life, the room is completely devoid of furniture, the plush carpet showing little to no sign of wear, this room was not frequented by anyone, the elves kept in clean as instructed by the Lady of the house.

She would retire here when she needed time to herself and her son and husband knew better than to disturb her, that wasn't a problem nowadays. All four walls were covered with an intricate tapestry, it almost looked alive, the central theme of this magical artwork is a grand tree, and unlike the identical rooms in the other Black properties, this tapestry was completely unharmed, every member of her family adorned the walls, she walks over to her part and gently runs her fingertips over her eldest sisters picture, noting that the day of her death had already added itself.

She snaps her fingers and with a loud pop a house elf appears, the elf bows and summons food and drink for her mistress, conjuring a small table along with it, bowing again and disappearing with another loud pop.

She lets out a sigh, loosens the neck of her robe and collects the glass from the table and resumes her slow walk around the room, her eyes fall on her Aunt's section, a scowl ruins her perfect features as she looks at the smiling and winking face of Sirius Black, they never got along, a Black as a Gryffindor, just thinking about it made her shudder, she tried to remember the last time she had seen that part of her family, it must have been as a very little girl, her Aunt was fanatical but much less stern than her own parents, all of her Aunt's rage was directed at the blood traitor, and to make her point all respectable Blacks were treated like royalty.

Malfoy manor didn't have a portrait of Walburga Black and Narcissa did all she could to avoid the majority of rooms containing the more vocal family members, she knew at some point she would have to face the portrait of Bellatrix that hung on the wall in one of the studies upstairs. Draining the glass and picking at a tasty morsel from the plate she thought about how to alleviate the boredom and growing feeling of cabin fever, she wasn't a prisoner but having to go everywhere with an Auror in tow made it feel so.

Mind made up the elegant woman leaves the room and heads up to her chambers, changing quickly into less extravagant clothing, a simple looking blouse and a long pleated skirt, magically tying up her hair and pulling on a light hooded shawl, she leaves the bedroom and leaves through the side door, the fire burns brightly in her study, she approaches the fireplace and grabs a handful of brightly coloured powder, the flames react instantly as the powder touches the flames, she steps into the grate '12 Grimmauld Place'

Stepping out onto the tiled kitchen floor Narcissa is glad of the shawl, the place is cold and the air feels damp, dust lays thick on the floor and on every surface, lighting her wand a few creatures scuttle for the safety of some dark corner, the door leading from the room is ajar, she steps through and climbs the stairs to the main hall. Carefully she lights the two oil lamps either side of a large black curtain, she pulls the curtain aside, the sleeping form wakes instantly, preparing for the screaming, she is surprised when the severe looking witch cracks a smile.

"Narcissa, is that you?"

"Hello Auntie, it's been too long"

"How are you my child, what brings you here?"

"I...I don't know, who owns the house, is it safe here?"

"Sirius, the filthy blood traitor, but of course it's safe, you are a true daughter of the house of Black"

"I just want to look around Auntie"

"Of course dear, you look so much like your mother"

With that, the curtains close and the lamps die as if blown by a strong gust of wind, the hallway is plunged into darkness, Narcissa stands still and waits for her eyes to adjust, a whispered 'Lumos' and she climbs the stairs to the second floor, pausing for a moment she glances up the next staircase, it seems that a faint glow is coming from the upper floor, curiosity wins the day and with wand gripped tightly she heads up to the third floor.

The lamps all along this hallway are lit, the carpet is clean, someone has been here, someone might still be here, before she can cast a detection spell a door on the right opens and out steps a very wet and very naked man, she raises her wand as the man turns to face her, recognising him at once, her wand arm falls back down to her side, she can't help looking at the sight in front of her, a slight flush creeping across her face.

"Who the hell are you and why are you in my house?" he shouts, she lowers her hood "Narcissa?"

"Potter, I, you, what?!" realisation dawns and he attempts to hide his modesty behind his hands

"I had a bath and forgot to take a towel" forcing herself to look in his eyes, she replies

"You are a wizard, or did you forget?"

"Sometimes I like to do things the muggle way"

"Good job I'm no threat to you then, I can't imagine where you'd keep your wand" the boys face reddens further

"I'll get dressed and see you in the living room" he waits for her to descend the stairs and rapid footsteps can be heard followed by the shutting of a door

Walking along the familiar corridor she opens the door to the living room, this room has also been cleaned and made usable, the fire blazing away merrily and clean, comfortable looking furniture, she sits down on an elegant wing back chair and removes the hooded shawl, allowing herself to sit back and relax, after a few minutes the door opens and a dry and dressed Harry Potter walks in, he offers drinks, and a tray promptly appears on the table, he settles into a chair opposite.

The uncomfortable silence stretches on and on, occasionally their eyes meet, thoughts return to the night in the Forbidden forest when the woman opposite lied to the most powerful dark wizard who ever lived, she risked everything and saved him, he assumed the butterflies in his stomach and thundering heartbeat were all by-products of revisiting that memory.

"How are you Miss Black?" his voice sounds slightly odd to him, damn nerves

"As well as can be expected and getting better each day"

"What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to get away from the manor, we were always welcome here"

"I see, your Aunt isn't as hostile towards me as she used to be"

"I thought you had a nice place with the Weasley girl" he shifts uncomfortably under her ice blue gaze

"Yeah, well that's none of your business" his hand strays to his neck and rubs it, not meeting the woman's piercing eyes.

"I wouldn't have imagined bumping into you here"

"Sirius left this place to me, it's growing on me"

The odd pair return to their drinks, the atmosphere thick with tension, and neither of them know how to ease it, after awhile Narcissa decides to leave, the boy, no, the young man, rises and offers to walk to the kitchen to see her off.

"You are welcome back any time Miss Black, I owe you my life"

"Thanks Potter, don't think I don't know who I owe mine to"

He offers his hand and she gladly takes it, the handshake goes on several beats longer than comfortable, both parties seemingly reluctant to let go, clearing his throat he releases the woman's hand and passes her the container of floo powder, she bids him farewell and disappears in a roar of green flame.

A/N : Me again, I'm going to carry on with this branch of the story, leading up to the point where we came in, I hope that's acceptable, then we can return to present events and bang on from there.

Suggestions welcome, especially for pairings, for example Ron and Hermione are going to pop up at some point, do you want them as a couple? Dating others? Please throw in ideas, its like a choose your own path book, just not as well written xD


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N : I own nothing, hope you enjoy reading**

**Chapter Three**

Narcissa woke early the next day, she lay in bed trying to drag out the morning. Having nothing planned added to her lethargy, in an uncharacteristically childish act she violently thrashed about under the covers out of sheer exasperation, defeated she got out of her bed and went for a shower, feeling invigorated she dressed quickly and simply and headed out into the vast house.

Her first stop was the library, it was a depressing sight that made her heart ache, the ministry had been through here like a force ten hurricane, anything containing any mention of dark arts had been removed, some of them she could understand, others she mourned, yes they had contained questionable subjects, but they were ancient and had been in her family for generations.

Wandering through the shelves she would stop occasionally and tidy up some of the piles, she could have sorted it out in an instant but the thought of then having to find another task to occupy her mind did not appeal.

As she tidied she thought back to the slightly awkward, albeit, short trip to her Aunt's house, talking to Potter made her realise just how much she needed alternative human contact, figuring that if he was choosing to stay in that old house, all was not well at home with the ginger weasel, and that had piqued her interest.

The next day was pretty much the same, the fierce determination to stay busy helped fend off the cabin fever. An owl caused a brief distraction, apparently the ministry had no need for her, they were satisfied that she wasn't a threat, but might call on her should anything come up, she wondered if Potter had anything to do with it, that thought brought back the unwelcome weight of loneliness, yes there were several Aurors around, but they were only bothered about their duty. At the beginning she even tried to play the hostess, offering two young men a drink, she stopped doing this soon after because out the corner of her eye she saw them checking the drinks for any sign of tampering, she said nothing at the time but felt hurt by it later.

On the fourth day, the weather broke, gone were the grey clouds with their never ending supply of rain, there was blue sky, white clouds and the sun was giving its best. She tracked down the Auror in charge and requested a trip to Diagon Alley, eventually they were ready to leave, Narcissa was doing her best to keep her anger in check, she failed to see how it could possibly take an hour for them to be ready to leave.

Flooing into the Leaky Cauldron, she held her head high as the patrons turned to see who had entered, the volume of chatter dropped to conspiratorial whispers, a few furtive glances were shot her way, nothing could touch Narcissa, she wore her status like the thickest dragon hide.

Stepping into the alley behind the pub, muted chatter from Diagon Alley could be heard, she tapped the bricks and stood back as the archway formed and strode forwards, heels clicking on the uneven cobbles.

Life had returned here for the most part, Gringotts looked like nothing had ever happened, Ollivander's had reopened, Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour was also open, there wasn't a single destroyed store front to be seen, her eyes travel to the Weasel twins' joke shop, such an eye sore, but as there was only one of them now, part of her was glad to see it still going.

She spent a few hours browsing but not buying, as she contemplated calling it a day, a group of witches passed and made no effort to mask their hate towards her, she gripped her wand tightly inside her robes, the Aurors intervened and she conceded that it was indeed time to return home.

Almost a week later, the often austere lady was desperate for a reason to get out, she thought about Potter's offer, but needed a good reason to act upon it. Sitting in the library, early evening was approaching, she had a large book open in front of her but was looking straight through the page, she didn't even know what the book was, it was picked up at random and the page was selected in a similar fashion.

One word jumped off the page 'Elf' without much thought the blonde sits up straight and calls one word into the empty room 'Kreacher' with a loud pop he appears.

"Mistress, what can Kreacher do for you?" She thinks for a moment before responding

"Where is Potter?"

"The young master is at home miss"

"Home with the ginger weasel?"

"No mistress, the young master is at home, I don't know where the blood-traitor is"

She thinks about what to ask the elf, he is surprisingly free with information regarding the wizard he is now bound to.

"Has he eaten?"

"No, Kreacher worries about his master"

"Why are you telling me all this Kreacher?"

"The Master spoke to Kreacher after you left Mistress, he was very adamant that Kreacher was to obey Mistress Black"

"In that case Kreacher, go to my kitchens, prepare some food and bring it home, I will go on ahead, perhaps some company will help his appetite, I know it'll do wonders for me"

The elf bows to the floor before disappearing, Narcissa heads to the ornate mirror on the wall and fixes her hair with a few deft wand movements, she always looks immaculate and has a knack of making it look effortless, she turns and strides to the fire place and seconds later steps out into the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place.

She dusts herself down and sets off into the house to track down Potter, slipping comfortably into the role of hostess, she heads straight up to the living room, he is sitting in front of the fire reading the paper, it falls limp as he spots the woman standing in the doorway, she is a fine example of pure-blood heritage, haughty and arrogant, she doesn't want to be unapproachable, but she needs to hide her vulnerability, at least for now.

"Evening Mr Potter, I hoped you would be willing to have dinner with me"

"Miss Black, an unexpected pleasure, dinner would be great, I hadn't even thought about it"

"Excellent, I requested that Kreacher enlist the help of some of my elves"

"Um, great, do the Aurors know you've left?"

"No, and they won't notice I've gone, I think I scare them"

Just as she's about to admonish the man for the smile creeping onto his face, Kreacher appears and summons them to dinner. The kitchen looks so much better, the place has been well cleaned, pots and pans shine, the large table now looks like a well used antique, she sets herself down at the table, Harry sits opposite and pours the wine, they eat in silence, occasionally praising the elves for a damn fine meal.

Harry hadn't eaten properly for the longest time, he wasn't sure what to make of the woman opposite, but it was miles better than eating a meal alone. Refilling the wine glasses for a third time, both agreeing that they couldn't possibly eat any more, the table clears, leaving the 2 glasses and the remains of the bottle.

Harry asks if Narcissa has ever played any card games, she shakes her head, he gets up from the table and retrieves a pack from one of the drawers, he knew Sirius kept a deck, something to do when he was stuck in the house with only a few passing Order members for company, shaking off a touch of melancholy, he returns to his seat.

Narcissa is a fast learner and poker is the game of choice, in less than an hour she has it down and Harry is equally impressed and jealous of her poker face, several hands into another game he had taken to sitting on his free hand, its tendency to stray up to the back of his neck gave him away all the time, he should have known better than challenging the ice queen to a game that can be won with a straight face.

He throws his cards down in disgust, and holds his hands up in surrender, he smiles at the woman, he's not a sore loser, but there are only so many crushing defeats one person can take, had they been playing for cash, Harry would have had to hand over the key to his vault at Gringotts.

"Sorry for barging in the last time" she smiles at the young man opposite, he goes a little red

"It's fine"

"So, Why are you back here Potter? Trouble at home?" he clenches his jaw and in the dim light he looks tired and older than his years, she feels sorry for him.

"I just, it's not, I'm not ready to talk about it, sorry"

"Sorry Potter, if you ever want to talk, I'll listen" he nods but doesn't meet her eyes

Unsure of what to do or say but feeling the need to comfort the man, she reaches across the table and gently squeezes his shoulder and that seemed to do the trick. She retracts her hand and he lifts his head, the grateful smile changes the way he looks dramatically, the ice queen melts a tiny amount and returns the smile.

"I suppose I better get back, wouldn't want Kingley's minions getting in to trouble"

"Thanks for the food and company, remind me never to play you at cards ever again"

"It was most pleasant Potter, this should keep me sane for a while longer"

"We should do this again sometime" she nods and steps back through the fire.

Stepping out of the flames back into her library she comes face to face with a very angry looking Auror.

"Miss Black, may I ask where you have been?"

"I have just spent a few hours in the company of Harry Potter"

"He will confirm this will he miss?" she does not care for this obnoxious man's tone, she stands to one side allowing him to use the fire.

She walks into the room leaving the irritating little jobsworth to check she isn't lying, she can hear talking but not what's being said, a small cough from behind her and she turns to face the man, blue eyes blazing dangerously, she enjoys the feeling of satisfaction as the odious little twerp squirms under her cold gaze.

"Terribly sorry about the misunderstanding Miss, Mr Potter says that you are free to travel to his place of residence whenever you like Ma'am"

"Very well, then I bid you goodnight" she turns on her heel and marches from the room, had she looked back, she would have seen the man visibly sag, mopping his brow with a tatty looking handkerchief.

Back in the sanctuary of her room, she sits at the dressing table, she opens a few drawers and pulls out a quill, parchment and ink pot, for the next few minutes not a sound can be heard except for the scritch and scratch of the quill, satisfied with the letter, she folds it, seals it and summons an elf to post it.

She selects a demure silver silk nightdress, shivering slightly as the cool material clings to warm skin, the deep carpet feels nice on her feet, she heads into the bathroom and in no time she's back and climbing into bed, once the lights are out and she has made herself comfortable, she lets out a sigh, by merlin, she despises sleeping alone.

After what had been, arguably the best nights sleep in living memory, she was annoyed to be roused in such an unforgiving manner, a persistent screeching and clawing was coming from the large bay window, leaving the warm cocoon of her bed, she summons a robe before throwing open the curtains. Severe yellow eyes stare into surprised blues, the Eagle Owl was a beautiful, majestic sight, she hurriedly opened the window, the bird glides to a perch on the opposite side of the room, Narcissa collects some owl treats on her way over, feeding the owl, who hoots softly in appreciation, she carefully removes the package.

The bird stretches out its impressive wing span with a rustle of feathers and in one fluid movement alights from the perch and speeds away through the open window. Narcissa pokes the parcel with her wand and it returns to its original size, carefully she opens the top of the parcel 'Perfect!'

After getting dressed she flits from room to room, there is no clear goal in mind, just keeping busy, lost in thought her hand grips the next door handle, as she moves to open the door a sweet voice calls out her name, frozen in place with the handle part way down, she gently releases the handle and steps slowly away from the door, Bella's distinctive cackle echoes through the hallway, with her heart in her mouth and breath coming in desperate gasps, she flees to the main hall, with jangling nerves she walks straight into the library, the bright, airy room does much to calm her, the sudden appearance of Kreacher does exactly the opposite.

She brings her hand up to her chest and splays her fingers over her thumping heart, a few deep breaths and she is adequately calm, facing the elf, head tilted questioningly, the creature bows deep before talking.

"The young Master was wondering if Mistress would care to join him for dinner tonight"

"Tell him it will be my pleasure" inwardly cringing at the eagerness in her voice, hoping the elf wouldn't notice.

Kreacher takes his leave, feeling strangely elated, Narcissa grabs a book and settles into her favourite chair next to the fire, covering her bare feet with her long robes, she struggled to get engrossed in the weighty tome, her mind wandered constantly, after a few hours she gave it up as a bad job and took herself off the liquor cabinet, she spent her time carefully selecting a few choice bottles, it seemed only fair to provide after dinner drinks.

As late afternoon came round she went to get ready, deciding on tying her hair into an elaborate French plait, the issue of what to wear was a lot more difficult than she had imagined, she wanted to look alluring, but not desperate, and avoid looking like a mother figure at all costs, playing it safe, she chose a figure hugging dress that matched her eyes, a small amount to make-up was applied, just to highlight certain aspects of her face, she was always told that she was blessed with her looks, staring in the mirror, she was pleased with the result.

She picked up Potter's thank you present and headed for the fire, stopping briefly to instruct an elf to deliver the selected drinks to the living room cabinet in Grimmauld Place.

The kitchen is warm, mouth watering smells are coming from the oven, surprisingly, Harry is in charge of the cooking, he turns to greet her, eyes wide

"Wow, you look great" zero to awkwardness in less than a second, he clears his throat "Make yourself at home Miss Black, Kreacher has been helping me, but I wanted the effort to be mine"

"Narcissa"

"What? I mean excuse me" his hand moves to his neck, the woman just smiles politely at him

"You may call me Narcissa, if that's OK Harry"

"Oh, Yes yes" his face splits with his boyish grin, Narcissa feels a flutter in her stomach

He turns back to the stove and she sits at the table idly thumbing through the most recent copy of the Daily Prophet, nothing catches her eye the paper went downhill during the run up to the war and after that hardly anyone trusted it. She's dragged away from the gossip columns and Agony Witch help page by the appearance of plates and cutlery.

Dinner is a pleasant affair, small talk flows easily between mouthfuls, several times she catches him looking over, his eyes look a little darker, no need to worry about being a mother substitute after all, once dinner is over it's Harry who suggests heading up to the living room.

She settles down on a chair by the fire, legs tucked beneath her, she rests her head on her hand as Harry retrieves glasses and drinks from the cupboard. Over the next few hours they chat about growing up, Harry recounts his time with the Dursley's and discovering magic, she listens hanging on every word, his muggle upbringing equally as interesting as her pure-blooded one.

An unspoken rule keeps all talk of the war off the table, as the drinks flow and the talk of Hogwarts escapades increases along with the laughter the clock strikes midnight, she uncurls from the chair, shaking the pins and needles out of her legs, moving to stand but staggering drunk, a warm arm circles her waist, green eyes laced with concern.

"Stay, please"

"I can make it home" the voice is steady, that can not be said for her legs

"It's OK, you can have my room, I'll even make you breakfast"

"How can I argue with that logic, lead on Mr. Potter"

The unsteady duo make it slowly up the stairs and along the corridor, she holds the wall for support and the bedroom door creaks open, the room is sparsely decorated but clean.

"Thanks, such a gentleman"

She leans and kisses him gently on the cheek, he stands mouth open, holding his cheek like he'd just been slapped, the door swings closed and clicks shut

"Still sleeping alone" she chuckles "It sure could be worse."

**A/N : I love the varying opinions on Ron and Hermione, opinions duly noted xD**


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N : I know I only updated on Saturday, but this was a hard chapter to write, I hope you enjoy it_

_Many thanks to all those who take the time to review, cheers! I own nothing_

**Chapter Four**

Rising early and feeling surprisingly refreshed, she moves cautiously, anticipating post alcoholic punishment that never seems to manifest, unwilling to question her immense good fortune, she dresses, freshening herself and her clothes with a little bit of wand work, taking care of the rest in the adjoining bathroom. Returning to the bedroom she sits on the bed and calls for Kreacher, who promptly retrieves the package she had brought with her from downstairs, the room smells of him, it's pleasant, she orders the elf to leave the room as it is, secretly hoping that when Potter next sleeps in his bed, he'd smell her perfume.

Package in hand she leaves the room and heads to the second floor, she searches her memories for the layout of her Aunt's house, walking towards the living room, she stops, and opens a door seemingly on a whim, stepping inside, the door is gently closed. The room hasn't been used in years by the look of it, cobwebs and dust fight for supremacy, the wallpaper is faded and peeling, she spends the next hour cleaning and repairing.

Looking at her handiwork, she is pleased, the room is unrecognisable, the plush carpet coloured red, all debris removed leaving the perfect space for her gift. Kneeling down she carefully removes the precious bundle, sometime later she leaves the room smiling to herself, she walks into the living room. The grey light of the approaching dawn lightens the room enough to see, Harry is asleep on the sofa still wearing his glasses, she shakes her head and removes them, placing them on the table, he didn't even fetch himself a blanket, or conjure one, the room is far from cold but still, summoning a blanket she covers him over and settles into the nearby chair.

She takes a small amount of pleasure watching the young man sleep, the untameable hair, the famous scar, almost faded now. He stirs but its not a precursor to waking, eyes moving rapidly under closed lids, Narcissa leans closer, ready to wake him and offer comfort if what she suspects to be a nightmare takes hold. He is talking softly, she can make out a few words, he is back in the Forbidden Forest on the night she saved him.

Almost as soon as it began, it's over, he wakes up breathing heavily, his hands reach for his face and then start searching for his missing glasses, she makes her presence known and hands them over.

"I hope I didn't startle you"

"No, I'm fine, just woke up with a start, was disorientated"

He rubs his eyes hard with his hands, running them through his hair to no avail, he sits up and illuminates the room, they both adjust to the sudden brightness

"Sorry" he mumbles

"You were having a bad dream, you were back in the forest"

"I said something?" embarrassment and shame enter his voice

"You mentioned my sister, and here I was, hoping it was my name you whispered into the dark" she winks at him "Good job it was a nightmare or I'd feel most put out" she sits back, arms folded across her chest.

For a brief moment she considered holding back on the slightly flirtatious comment, but seeing the crooked grin on his face made it totally worth it, a conversation like this could only benefit from the mood being lightened.

"It's a recurring dream but it never seems to be the same, I remember something different each time, sometimes it's just a sound, other times it's conversations. I recalled your sister, it sounded like she was trying to help her Lord, he just brushed her aside, I couldn't see, but it sounded like she hit the deck" Narcissa just nods "I fully expected it to be her who would check me for signs of life, and then it was you, they completely underestimated you"

He looks at her with blazing green eyes, she meets his gaze and smiles, she stands up and holds out her hand to him, after watching him stare at her hand for several moments she feels compelled to offer some vocal encouragement.

"I won't bite, I have something to show you"

"What?"

"I'm not going to ruin the surprise, so take my hand, and close your eyes"

Despite the look of complete surprise and his eyebrows disappearing into his fringe he does as he's told, she carefully leads him a short way down the hall and into the room she prepared earlier, she closes the door, stands him in the centre, hands resting gently on his shoulders, leaning close to his ear, clearly enjoying this moment of power she tells him to open his eyes.

"Say something" his hand fumbles for hers and the gesture is returned "I hope you like it"

He just nods his head. She couldn't have hoped for a better response.

"How did you manage this?" his voice comes out as barely a whisper

"I know a lot of people and to some my name still carries weight, it's a small token of my thanks, and if you ever wanted to research your family, you now have all the names and dates you'll ever need, and should you extend your family, your tree will grow too"

He walks around the room, looking at the names and faces, lingering on them for mere moments until he finds the spot his parents occupy, Narcissa slips back behind her mask, just in case, it was always going to be emotional, he wouldn't want to break down in front of her and she already felt like she was witnessing something deeply personal.

Distracted by her own thoughts she didn't notice him approach, the embrace took her completely by surprise, her mask shattered, body rigid, with her mind rapidly gaining traction with the unexpected turn of events she allowed herself to relax and hugged back, breaking apart after a time, no words were said, there was no need.

Good to his word, Harry made a very passable breakfast, and was called into work, apologising for having to leave but duty calls, Narcissa headed home.

Back at the manor she made a point to make herself known to the nearest Auror, only to be met with complete indifference. Collecting the pile of mail as she made her way through the main hall to the library, she settles herself at a small writing desk and proceeds to check through the letters, dismissing most of it as a waste of her time she recognises the handwriting on one piece, cracking open the wax seal, she is met with the familiar scrawl of her son.

The letter was largely vague, she ascertained that he was currently out of the country doing something for the Department of Mysteries, she had managed to extract some information from him, he was very good at finding items of great interest to the ministry. The rest of the letter was personal, hoping she was well, and all the latest news from his own life, she read it several times.

After writing a suitable letter in reply she handed it off to an elf and threw the rest into the fire, she wondered what Draco would make of her burgeoning friendship with one Harry Potter, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it, for now it was her secret and she wasn't in a sharing mood.

As the weather was mild she took herself out into the vast grounds surrounding the manor, with no goal in mind she wandered aimlessly at first, then at the garden's wildest edges, she picked flowers and herbs, anything useful to replenish a few of her most used potions.

Looking up at the sky, grey clouds were rolling in from the west, a thin veil of rain could be seen on the horizon, not wanting to be caught out in it she returned to the house. In a side room next to the house's huge kitchen she skilfully shredded and cut everything down and laid them all out to dry, washing her hands in the kitchen she fixed herself a little something to eat.

It wasn't late but Narcissa headed up to her room, she treated herself to a luxurious bath and stayed in the hot perfumed water long after her fingers had pruned, wrapped in a towel she re-entered her bedroom vigorously rubbing her hair dry, stopped dead in her tracks by the square of parchment sitting on her pillow.

Obviously it had been placed there by an elf but she still approached it with caution, not knowing what to expect, or perhaps unwilling to get her hopes up.

_Narcissa,_

_ I hope I haven't disturbed you, I told Kreacher to be discreet, I hoped you'd still be awake and if you wanted to join me, I'd like that very much._

_Harry_

There was no denying the warm feeling radiating through her, slightly flustered, she places the note on her dresser and grabs her wand to speed up the drying process, if anyone who knew her well could see her now, they wouldn't recognise her, cold, calm and collected, she was none of those things and the masks she wore with such ease, all thrown right out of the window. Crossing to the chest of drawers she picked out a nice set of underwear, nothing too outrageous, unsuccessfully keeping her expectations for the evening low, she reasoned that it was better to wear them and not need them, than need them and not wear them. A form flattering blouse and skirt would do, after all she was visiting on a moments notice, and her appearance would do well to reflect that.

Stepping out into the familiar kitchen the house seems eerily quiet, doubt creeps in, shaking it off as she climbs the stairs, a faint glow from the living room at the end of the hall removes anything lingering, approaching the door she can see a figure standing and staring out of the window, she pushes the door and stands in the frame waiting to be noticed, she needs to see his reaction to her being there.

"You came" he sounds surprised, he grins broadly and she smiles in spite of herself

"Well you did invite me"

"I know but it was getting late, I thought you might have turned in" he shrugs

"I was thinking about it, you just caught me"

The atmosphere has changed, they could both feel it, he fixes her a drink, Narcissa can still feel his nervousness, if anything developed she would happily take the lead, she thanks him for the drink, she presses him for information on Draco's assignment, it's all for nothing, she expected nothing less, he is suitably apologetic, she makes it clear that it's perfectly fine.

As the hour grows late and the conversation winds down, he makes a clumsy segue into the subject of bedtime, his bedroom is still available for her, he has made a guest room available for his own needs, she nods and smiles and they walk up to the top floor, when he reaches his door Narcissa decides it's now or never, she grabs his hands and pulls him close.

"Stay with me Potter" she purrs the words into his ear "Please"

She leaves a kiss on his cheek as she moves back to look into his eyes, there is a touch of fear in those emerald eyes, but he nods his head, she lets go of the breath she wasn't aware of holding, it seems the feelings are mutual, she leads him to the next door, keeping contact all the while, she opens the door with one hand, stepping through and pulling Harry along after, he stumbles, they collide and fall back against the door.

Never one to pass up on an opportunity, their bodies pressed together, she crashes her lips onto his, not caring about the rough stubble against her soft skin, she is in control, but he responds willingly, she deepens the kiss, breaking away only when oxygen becomes a very real need.

The initial rush begins to wear off, it occurs to Narcissa that Lucius was the only man to have seen her naked, she feels an icy drop of fear run down her spine, as if her fears were spoken out loud, Harry kisses her, red lips parting as his fingers tease through long blonde hair, her fear melts away as hot lips move on to her neck, her hands travel up his warm back, one to pull him close, the other continues to the back of his head, gripping his black locks she moves away and disrobes, the soft light dancing on pale skin, the shadows making his muscles more pronounced, they climb into bed.

Narcissa continued to lead, he is hesitant but she welcomes his touch, and he slowly finds his confidence, their breathing is heavy, her heart is thundering, they cling to one another, he is tender and attentive to her needs, it was frantic, greedy and desperate one minute, slow and passionate the next. The inevitable battle for dominance doesn't surface, the need and the want are completely mutual, both savouring what the other has to offer, neither had experienced anything like it, their heads touching, eyes locked together, adding to the intensity, oaths are uttered from barely moving lips, promises whispered, bodies settling, arms wrapped tight around each other, she relaxes her grip first, wanting to be held, shifting into a position of comfort he is only too happy to oblige. Sleep finds the pair swiftly, the lamps go out.

Narcissa wakes as if disturbed by something, she reaches over, fingers searching for contact, when the search becomes fruitless she can't help but open tired eyes, a dim light shines from a door slightly ajar, the sound of running water, muted, coming from beyond, his side of the bed is still warm, and she unashamedly rolls into it, feeling his warmth on her skin, having cast off all her protective armour the night before, she will allow herself this blatant show of weakness, in a way it shows the power he has over her at this moment, possibly forever, her true feelings laid bare, she feels that it would never be used against her.

The brightness of the light intensifies for just a few seconds before darkness returns, readying herself for his return and making sure he has to fight for that privilege, she's disappointed to get a kiss on the forehead and a whispered apology, apparently the ministry deems itself far more worthy of his time than her, huffing her displeasure, he chuckles quietly, his minty breath close to her cheek, followed by a proper goodbye kiss, which she supposes will have to do. She makes herself comfortable and drifts back off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N : Thanks for the reviews, I own nothing, I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's the longest one I've written_

**Chapter Five**

Sometime later when morning had long broken and the bright light from outside could no longer be ignored, Narcissa woke up, she stretched, the action was elegant and catlike, she smiled at each muscle twinge, there were also a few marks, she traced across them with cool fingertips. She considered bathing but wasn't ready to wash away all of what had happened the previous night, instead she got dressed, she wore a champagne coloured silk blouse, if she were to be spending the day in the company of a certain someone, she may have considered wearing nothing else with it, the garment came half way down her thighs, leaving plenty of leg on show, denied an audience she opted just to wear her skirt again.

On her way down to the kitchen she stops off in Harry's tapestry room, she examines the section he occupies, seemingly satisfied with what she sees, she continues to the kitchen. Kreacher is only too happy to provide Mistress Black with breakfast, while she ate Kreacher was tasked with getting hold of the latest edition of the Daily Prophet.

Having finished her breakfast she dabbed the crumbs away from the corners of her mouth with a napkin and sat back in her chair, in no time the familiar pop, signalled the reappearance of the house elf, he passes Narcissa the paper and moves around the kitchen to make his Mistress a drink, after that he leaves.

The paper, as expected, is filled with rumour, gossip and sensationalism, she sipped her drink and flicked through to the Agony Witch section, absorbed in stranger's tales of woe she didn't hear the front door open, she did hear the screamed protests of Walburga Black.

"Blood-Traitor, Filth, Scum, defiling the house of my forebears, traitorous blood is no better than mudblood"

The noise comes to an abrupt end, a familiar sounding voice follows "Bloody awful old hag."

Narcissa sits herself up straight, interlocked fingers resting against her lips, her steely blue gaze on the kitchen door, quietly awaiting the arrival of the newcomer, she doesn't have to wait long for at that moment the door bursts open and in steps a flustered looking Ginny Weasley.

Both women stare each other down, Narcissa's face remains completely impassive, the red head begins with surprise, then fear, confusion, finally settling on anger.

"Narcissa?! What the hell are you doing in Harry's house?" she reaches for her wand

"That's Miss Black to you, girl, this is also the home of my Aunt, I believe you disrespected her on your way in"

"Sirius left the house to Harry, your Aunt is just a picture on the wall"

"That's as maybe, but I have every right to be here, I am a Black"

"Where is Harry?"

"I have no idea, work perhaps, you're his wife, don't you know? If he were mine, I'd keep better track of him"

"Well he's not yours, and I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you"

Narcissa picks up her mug and smirks at the contents. During this pause in the conversation Ginny attempts to summon Kreacher, when no answer is forthcoming, she checks in his cupboard, the blonde watches this with much amusement, and wonders why the ginger doesn't know that Kreacher now resides in Regulus' old room, how long have there been problems at home she wonders.

Fixing the irritating girl with a cool blue stare, she sets her cup down and calls on Kreacher, he appears with a pop, the Weasley girl shoots daggers at the older witch before turning her back to her and addressing the elf.

"Kreacher where is Harry?"

"The Master was called to the ministry"

"Why is she here?" she jerks her head in Narcissa's direction, the blonde holds her breath

"Visiting her Aunt, the young Master is happy for her to do so, she is a daughter of the ancient and most noble house of Black"

"Thank you Kreacher" the elf vanishes

She turns back to the woman sitting on the table, she is smiling at the girl, it does little to change the mood of the clearly furious young woman.

"Have a seat Miss Weasley"

"It's Mrs Potter" she spits the words out, Narcissa just sits there, calm and composed

"Trouble at home? Want to talk about it?" the girl's wand arm tenses

"There is no trouble at home, I have no idea where you get that impression"

"Yet you have no idea where your husband is, and by the look of this place, he spends a fair amount of time here, even my Aunt is warming to him" she chuckles at the last part

"It's none of your business" she hisses "He wanted to fix it up, and it's nice having property in London" she folds her arms across her chest

A few moments pass, Narcissa finishes her drink, all the while Ginny's light brown eyes never leave the older witch, even for a moment, when it becomes obvious that Narcissa isn't going to say anything further, the red head breaks the silence.

"So you'll be leaving then"

"Is that a question?"

"No"

"Then I suppose I shall leave, I just need to collect a few things, then I will be on my way Miss Weasley"

"What things?"

"I don't care for your tone, not that it concerns you, but I want my cloak and a few items of clothing" the look on the ginger girls face is a picture

"Y. y. you stayed the night?"

"Yes, Potter was quite the gentleman, he gave me the use of his room"

"Where did Harry sleep?" Narcissa could hear the rising panic in the girls voice

"No idea, on the living room sofa perhaps, a spare room, he didn't inform me"

Narcissa stands, drawing herself up to her full height, she strides from the room without so much as a glance in the other woman's direction. Reaching the first floor landing she summons Kreacher, making it very clear that the blood traitor isn't allowed inside Harry's tapestry room under any circumstance, the elf is only too happy to obey, satisfied, she continues to the bedroom, she collects a few things, and sweeps from the room.

Back down in the kitchen, she helps herself to floo powder and leaves Grimmauld place, light brown eyes burning into her back.

Stepping out of the roaring green flames the haughty blonde felt surprisingly calm, the encounter with the ginger weasel had made her anger flare, but there was no way she would let it ruin her good mood and the Lady of the manor had a lot to be happy about.

Walking out of the library she went straight into her tapestry room, she found her own place and studied the magic material up close, she found whatever it was she was looking for, with a triumphant look on her face she leaves the room, the door clicks shut after her.

She didn't hear anything from Harry for the rest of the day and in the loneliness and solitude of the huge manor her mind had become her worst enemy, she wondered at first, if the ginger weasel had managed to worm her way back into his heart, or perhaps their intimate encounter was a one off, a mere blip in the midst of this rocky patch in his marriage, after all, marriages took effort from both sides.

Having absolutely no idea what the trouble in their relationship actually was, didn't help her fight off the creeping doubt, she felt foolish and embarrassment burned on her cheeks, she took herself off to a spacious room at the back of the manor, it had been converted into a training room of sorts, she spent a few hours venting her unwanted emotions.

Breathing heavily, brow glistening with sweat, she surveyed the destruction, training dummies lay strewn around the space, scorched, torn, in pieces, burn marks criss crossed parts of the walls and giant gouged tracks, like dragon claw marks, marked the wood floor and ceiling.

She considered leaving the mess for the house elves, but she had always found a certain serenity in the act of cleaning up after a workout, gripping her wand, her eyes drift closed, she walks around the room, lips moving with silent incantations, after two laps of the room everything was back as it was, she briefly admires her work and leaves the room.

Back in her bedroom she removes her sweaty robes, scooping her hair back behind her shoulders and dislodging some rogue strands still clinging to her sweat soaked forehead, she walks into the bathroom and begins to draw a bath, a heavy scent fills the steamy air and she walks into the water and slides into it's depths.

Some time later she leaves the warm embrace of the bath, drying herself with magic, sliding between the sheets, the cool material caressing her hot skin, she eventually falls into an uneasy sleep.

Morning arrives with a damning inevitability, Narcissa is in the process of dressing and taming her bed hair, today she lets it fall, sleek and natural, curling slightly at the ends, never as prominent as those of her sisters, happy with her appearance and floor length robes, she glides out of the bedroom and heads off in search of breakfast.

An obliging elf provides her Mistress with freshly ground coffee and toast, she picks up the few pieces of mail from the hall and walks to her desk in the library, an unexpected sight is waiting for her, the surface of her desk is covered with Daffodils, several different colour variants all aesthetically arranged, unlike many of her family members Narcissa was not named after a star, not many people knew she was named after this flower. Curiosity getting the better of her, she carefully places her carried items on the desk, ensuring the flowers aren't harmed or disturbed, and gently moves the blooms in search of clues to the origin of this impressive display. She spots a square of yellow parchment, hidden amongst the pale yellow flowers, with clumsy fingers she breaks the seal, unfolds it and reads.

_Narcissa,_

_ I'm so sorry you had to deal with Ginny the other day, work has been unexpectedly busy and I was tied up until very late._

_Please come tonight, dinner will be taken care of and I have some good news for you._

_Harry_

_P.S. Your Aunt said you may like the flowers, I'm unsure about these things._

She should have guessed, it took away all the bad feelings, being alone was like a poison and quickly corroded good thoughts and feelings, suitably elated the Lady of the house felt herself relax, she had tonight to look forward to, she would dress to impress and attempt to erase any trace of the ginger weasel from Harry's thoughts, he was hers now, and she was his, Narcissa had never been denied anything before and that wasn't going to come to an end any time soon.

Time moved in fits and starts, hours flew by only to crawl excruciatingly the next time she clock watched, by mid afternoon she was pacing restlessly up and down in front of the fireplace, an Auror approached her about something trivial, she retrieved the mail she had discarded and forgotten earlier, as suspected it was mostly junk, and condemned to a fiery doom, a letter bearing the recognisable scrawl of Draco was a most welcome distraction.

Work was mentioned in only the vaguest terms, but it was going very well, the hope that he would be able to return home soon was clear in his words, he expressed a wish for them to have a nice dinner when he returned home, the idea pleased her, she hadn't really had many opportunities to get to know Draco's lovely wife.

She wondered if it would be too early to invite Harry along as her plus one, a married man and Draco's boss, it would be fun, but possibly not the smartest move. Time seemed to be behaving itself and Narcissa settled down with a well read book, lost in the words she was shocked to hear the clock chime six, placing the book down, she speeds up to her room, selecting a slightly more scandalous set of underwear this time, the bra discarded, she slips into a blood red gown, split tastefully down the skirt showing of a shapely leg, the plunging back and neckline leaving little to the imagination, but it hugs her figure and her pale skin glows.

The look is finished with a pair of strappy heels and a delicate application of makeup, a fine red shawl across her shoulders, the material almost sheer, looking at the result in the mirror, she smiles to herself and heads to the fireplace.

Expecting to walk out into a hot and busy kitchen and being met with quite the opposite left the woman standing confused, treading the familiar route up to the main hallway and climbing the stairs, she heads to the living room, a feeling of Deja Vu, the unmistakeable figure staring out of the window to the street below.

"You came, I wasn't sure if you would" she can feel the relief in his voice

"I wasn't sure myself" the lie rolled off her tongue so easily, she was no pushover

"I am so sorry about, well, you know" he's looking down at the carpet

"It's past, maybe you can tell me what's going on?"

"Later, I promise, I don't want to spoil tonight" her body feels warm as his eyes travel over her

"Very well. See something you like Potter?" it's his turn to feel the heat, the blush is almost instant

"You look beautiful Narcissa" she knows but still likes hearing it

"You look pretty handsome yourself Potter" he's dressed in a simple, well fitted black suit

"Tonight I would very much like to take you out, I have pulled in a few favours"

"Out? In public? But..." grinning broadly he closes the gap between them and takes her hand

"Trust me" he kisses soft red lips and she lets out a shuddering breath and just nods her head.

He puts his arm around her waist and they apparate with a pop. Appearing in a posh looking part of a city, no one notices the couple, he takes her hand and leads her across the street, they head towards a fancy looking building, there are people queueing to get in and the line of people is so long the end can't be seen.

Harry walks them both up to the door and gives his name to the doorman, they are instantly admitted. A young usher leads them through the plush interior to an ornate booth, upholstered in rich leather, Narcissa allows herself to be helped into her seat and her date settles down across from her, the young woman takes note of Harry's drink request and scurries off.

"Impressive Potter, what if someone recognises us?"

"I told you everything will be fine" he smiles and it dawns on the blonde witch

"This is a muggle restaurant?" the man nods and Narcissa relaxes a little

The wine arrives, Harry pours them each a generous measure, they clink their glasses and enjoy a taste, it's a fine example, she praises his superb choice.

"How did you pull this off?"

"A muggle-born at work owed me a favour and he knows the owner"

"You've set the bar quite high, I will have to see what strings I can pull for next time"

"I have to ask, where are you keeping your wand in that dress?"

"A woman never reveals her secrets, you'll have to use your imagination" she gives him a sly wink.

He passes her the restaurant's extensive and exotic menu, so many choices, and everything sounds divine, she starts with a salad, a main course of fish and chocolate cake for dessert, Harry chooses a meaty starter and a mixed grill for his main, quite the carnivore, and also picks the cake.

The order is noted and menus are removed, Narcissa sits back, crossing her legs under the table, as she watches the handsome man opposite she gently runs her foot up and down his leg, he looks at her with hungry green eyes and an adorable grin on his face, his eyes drop and when they stay lowered she smiles in spite of herself, the man is still a boy apparently.

"Potter" no response "Potter!" green eyes meet blue, shining with amusement "Oh, there you are, my face is up here by the way" he is so easy to embarrass, he mumbles an apology. She takes his hand and leans in close, her voice seductively low

"I love that you love my outfit, I wore it for your benefit after all, but I was hoping for some conversation this evening" she grabs his tie and pulls him into a kiss "You had some news?"

"I did, I mean I do" he drops his eyes again, she rolls her eyes

"If you can avert your eyes from my chest for just a moment please tell me, you will have the opportunity to enjoy my choice of clothing later, you may even find where I keep my wand"

The poor man almost chokes on his mouthful of wine, she pats his back and the coughing subsides, he takes a small sip of water from the jug provided and after wiping his streaming eyes, he's able to continue talking.

"Draco is coming home, I'm happy that he's completed his task and I owled him this morning"

"That's great news" Narcissa's face positively lights up

"That's not all, I have finally got rid of an irksome wizard in my department, I wouldn't be surprised if he was related to Filch, well, the only logical choice for his position is Draco, so I will be promoting him very soon, you aren't allowed to tell him"

"You've done so much for us, you honestly don't have to"

"I may be the department head, but I still have to put forward my recommendations, I picked my best, and Draco came out on top, I don't want his colleagues thinking he's getting preferential treatment, he's just the best at what he does" he smiles and adjusts his glasses. There are no words to express her gratitude, so she kisses him fiercely instead.

The starters arrive, glasses are topped up, the salad is crisp and fresh, they talk about everything and nothing, the main courses arrive, they share their food a little, the young waitress returns to take away the empty plates and Narcissa requests that the dessert is brought out as one large serving with extra cream and two spoons, she nods and hurries away.

Leaning back once more, the blonde witch adjusts her dress for the captive audience and resumes running her foot gently against Harry's leg while they wait for dessert, he empties the second bottle of wine between their glasses.

Dessert arrives, a veritable mountain of chocolate and cream, Narcissa grabs a spoon, and offers Harry a sizeable mouthful, succeeding in getting a large amount of cream right on the end of his nose, laughing hysterically as he finishes his mouthful and cleans himself, he narrows his eyes and picks up the other spoon.

"Now Potter, it was an innocent mistake, don't do anything rash"

"I wouldn't dream of it" the gleam in his emerald eyes, says different.

She opens her mouth trustingly and is surprised to get a mouthful of cake and cream, some of which is left on her lips, before she can lick them clean he claims them in a kiss taking it for himself, she purrs approval, the cake is finished off in this fashion, she is thankful for the wine and romantic lighting, there is no way she would behave like this normally, but this was far from normal, and most importantly, she just didn't care.

With the meal finished they head home, there are less people about and once out of sight Harry apparates them back to the house.

She pushes him back onto the sofa and straddles his waist.

"Thank you for a wonderful night" her lips brush against the shell of his ear, she feels him shiver

"My pleasure" the words are croaked out, he looks like he wants to say something, she places a finger on his lips.

"We can talk about Ginny tomorrow" she whispers

"Ginny who?"

"Very good Potter, now take me to bed."

_A/N : let me know what you think, I hope to have another chapter before the end of next week, maybe sooner, as soon as it's written anyway xD_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N : I own nothing, and make no money from this etc yadda yadda yadda._

_Thanks for the reviews, I do try and reply to you all personally, I must also apologise for my occasional 'Tense Blindness' I have corrected some, but not updated it on site yet._

_I'm going to stick with Draco's canon wife in future chapters, so apologies for calling her half blood, when she is pure blood, I will endeavour to correct that at a later date. Hope you enjoy the new chapter, it will hopefully fill in a few blanks._

**Chapter Six**

The next morning they woke up simultaneously in a tangle of limbs, she could happily wake up like this every morning, so much better than waking up alone, once the war was over and she was allowed home, she always thought sleeping alone would just take some getting used to, but as time passed, it never felt better. Narcissa had even tried to convince herself that she missed Lucius, she knew she didn't, she could have taken any number of people into her bed, but that wasn't her style, and yet here and now with Harry's arms wrapped tightly around her, it all felt right, she didn't much care for being 'the other woman' but she didn't plan on letting it be that way for long. Once she knew all the facts concerning the breakdown of his marriage to the ginger girl, perhaps she would be able to help him, at the very least give him an incentive to move things forward, Weasel girl's loss was her gain.

"I can almost hear you thinking" she slaps him sharply on the side "What was that for?"

"You startled me, I was just wondering about..."

"Ginny?" he finishes the sentence for her, his voice flat.

"You remember who she is then?" he playfully attempts to push her away

"Each time I think about it, all my reasons for giving up seem so weak"

"Well I'm not going to judge, you can confide in me" she gives him a reassuring squeeze.

Harry takes a deep breath and starts to explain everything, after the battle for Hogwarts everyone wanted a piece of the Golden Trio, Hermione had taken on a large role in the cleaning up and restoration of the castle, including the removal of the dead, the ministry took care of the enemy combatants, the families of the rest had to come to identify and remove their loved ones, Hermione, to her credit, had personally dealt with everyone.

McGonagall had been installed as Headmistress and after the castle was restored to its former glory, Hermione took a place on the staff, as was the case with her school work, the same was true for work, she taught Transfiguration and helped out during staff shortages, so extensive was her knowledge of just about everything. If McGonagall had let her, no doubt she would have done more.

With her advancing years and duties as headmistress and occasionally helping the Ministry, McGonagall was only too happy to have Hermione teach in her stead and made her head of Gryffindor house. She and Ron had embarked upon a brief relationship, it was never going to work, thankfully it ended before any harm was done and they remained good friends.

Ron was offered many jobs within the Ministry, he started on his Auror training, he was surprisingly adept and he completed it with little issue, he was heavily involved with several raids tasked with bringing rogue Death Eaters to justice, he spent days in the field following leads and staking out potential hideouts, the cells in Azkaban were filling up nicely.

His career could not have been going better, around the Auror offices he was constantly compared to 'Mad-Eye' but one night, Ron and four of the best Aurors, hand picked by Ron himself came upon a large abandoned house, an anonymous tip off led them to believe a few Death Eaters had holed up inside, the information was accurate, but it went wrong, everybody was killed, some kind of magical explosion, Ron had been found on the perimeter of the destroyed property unconscious and covered in blood, after he was released from St. Mungo's he resigned and went to help George run Weasley Wizard Wheezes in Diagon alley, Ron said at the time, that he'd seen more than enough death for one lifetime.

The constant stream of funerals was the most wearing part, each one physically exhausting, so much shared grief and they felt obligated to attend every single one, they held no grudges, but were glad when the dead had been remembered and laid to rest at last, after that people started to look to the future, it was bright and full of hope.

Rita Skeeter was desperate to get the exclusive rights to the Golden Trio, book deals and interviews, the ultimate account of Voldemort's downfall, they didn't give her the time of day, at one point she became quite threatening, Kingsley had stepped in at that point, whatever he said to the woman had worked.

The celebrations came after that, every one held in honour of the people who brought an end to the second wizarding war, there were a few weddings along the way, Neville married Luna, he took over from Professor Sprout as Herbology teacher, Luna took over the Quibbler. George Weasley married Angelina Johnson and opened a Hogsmeade branch of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. After those happy events everyone wanted to know when Harry would propose to Ginny, Mrs Weasley dropped it into every conversation, Ron and Hermione gave him the least amount of grief, that was a small blessing, there was literally no escape, the spotlight was on the Boy-Who-Lived-Again, the Chosen one.

Rita Skeeter resurfaced and that made matters worse, Witch Weekly Magazine, a publication that Mrs Weasley adored, wanted to cover the photographs of the big day, Ginny's dress became a thing of much speculation. Ginny had become a first team player for the Holyhead Harpies and was a celebrity in her own right, and that added to the furore, overnight the wedding became an international media circus.

Harry had been offered pretty much anything he wanted, he chose a position in the Department of Mysteries and rapidly made his way to the top job, no one had questioned his choice, but now Narcissa knew the real reason, a reason he hadn't told anyone, as an Unspeakable, huge parts of Harry's working life were magically protected, it was the most privacy he had ever had, the older woman's heart went out to him, she probably knew more about Harry during the early parts of his life than he had.

So in a situation that most pure-blooded families would have been proud of, Harry Potter's wedding to Ginevra Weasley was all but set in stone, by all accounts the wedding was largely free, so many people wanted it to happen, the catering had been done by an army of Hogwarts house elves, much to Hermione's dismay. for weeks after it was on the front page of every newspaper and magazine, it did more for people's happiness than any of the positive propaganda spouted by the Ministry.

Narcissa realised that she was holding Harry quite tightly and subsequently lessened her grip, he was getting close to revealing where it all went wrong. His hand was still tracing patterns on her back with his fingers, she had hardly noticed at the beginning, it was becoming distracting but in a good way, she didn't want anything interrupting this tale, she gave all her attention to the sound of his voice, she rested her head on his chest and stroked her fingers down his side, he took another deep breath and continued.

Between Harry's job and Ginny's Quidditch, the newly weds had easily managed to get themselves a place of their own, married life was pretty good to start with, until the nightmares started, always the same place, the Forbidden Forest, only the details changed slightly with each visitation, Ginny started treating him differently, it had reminded him of when his link to Voldemort had been discovered, his friends treated him differently, certain conversations were had, but whispered behind his back, and with the nightmares came the same feeling that the people close to him felt he needed to be treated differently and that made him angry and resentful.

Narcissa asked him about the dream, but he wouldn't tell, it wasn't the same as the one he'd told her about that morning in the living room, this particular detail had a nasty habit of repeating, and he was unwilling to share, she had no desire to force him to do something he didn't want to do, instead she kissed his jawline and let him talk.

Another deep breath, Narcissa's head rises gently and falls as he exhales, she can hear his heart thudding rapidly, he was nervous about what was to come. One night the dream had been incredibly vivid and he had attacked Ginny as she tried to wake him, uncontrolled magic, she hadn't been badly hurt but the next day she packed some things and spent the weekend at her parent's house, Harry had come to Grimmauld Place to take his mind off things, something to do, the act of being so busy, nothing else could interfere, Narcissa could relate.

No one blamed Harry for what had happened, but it didn't stop the hushed conversations, the ones that inexplicably ended the moment he walked into the room. No one questioned all the time he spent at Grimmauld place, his job was demanding and during the Quidditch season, Ginny was rarely at home, he knew deep down that he no longer loved her, and that's when Narcissa had walked in, that spur of the moment decision made in the manor, which had given her so much.

"I understand" the words are spoken quiet and soft "There is no shame in no longer loving someone, you can't force it, I doubt anyone would blame you, and the rest would get over it, you are allowed to be happy"

"Thank you, I just kept thinking that I should make it work, everyone expected it to be perfect"

She climbs on top of him, wrapping herself around him, kissing him deeply before sighing close to his ear.

"Nothing is ever perfect, Potter, but this comes close, I can't make you do anything you don't want to do, but you know you need to do the right thing, and then we shall see." He doesn't say anything but she can feel him nodding.

**All's Fair**

The sound of the bathroom door closing brings Narcissa back to the present. Dare she hope that he'll leave the weasel girl for her, she gets up and walks to the bathroom, she kisses him in passing, and runs her nails across his abdomen eliciting a sharp hiss of pleasure from the dark haired man.

Narcissa returns to the room moments later, her hair falls down her back in a golden waterfall, her robes hang loose around her shoulders, once round her side of the bed she lets her robes fall to the floor, hungry eyes track across her pale skin, she loves the way he looks at her, naked, clothed, it hardly makes the difference, she doubts he ever looked at the ginger weasel that way.

She slides in between cool sheets and is met with hot skin, and hot lips across her shoulder and back, she happily melts into the embrace, he whispers in her ear.

"I'm leaving her, I'll make it official tomorrow, I'm sorry I've messed you around for so long"

"I'm glad I stayed around"

"So am I, I never meant to take so long, I was afraid"

"I was scared you'd see sense and stay with her"

"What about you and Lucius?"

"He's in Azkaban and we're divorced"

"I thought your divorce was just a show for the public and you'd try and get his sentence reduced"

She turns to face him, understanding something vital for the first time

"I assumed that all your talk of guilt was just about you, and that I somehow shared some of that, but this was it all along, Harry, I want to be here, I want to be with you, that's all I've wanted for a long time, that's why I tolerated being the other woman"

It was all out in the open now, love had not been talked about, only felt, and that feeling was shared, just the small matter of telling two thirds of the Golden Trio and Draco, once news got out into the wider wizarding community, merlin knows what would happen, hopefully people would be too concerned with the chosen one's divorce, and you never know your luck, it might give that Skeeter bitch a heart attack. Sleep came easy to the couple.

Harry felt exhausted, completely drained, a penetrating cold cut through to his bones, he walked automatically, as if on rails, his mind knew where to go, he'd walked these paths many times. There was no sound this time, a fire flickered in the distance, occasionally visible through the trees, as he gets closer figures can be seen, for some reason tonight his eyes seek out Bellatrix, she is battle worn and a little bloody.

Voldemort seems utterly calm, disappointed that the boy had not appeared, the next moments are a blur, slowing to a crawl when the jet of green light leaves the wand of his nemesis, it strikes him square in the chest, his body dropping to the soft forest floor.

Bellatrix denied and shunned by her precious Lord, Harry can almost visualise the look on the dark witch's face, new sounds, a new dream perhaps, Harry is hoping that it's the case, he hadn't realised before that Voldemort had actually hurt Narcissa, forcing her to check him for signs of life, this time he could feel the anger, soft hands touching him, he can smell her, feel her hair brushing against his face, she asks about Draco, she squeezed his hand before standing and proclaiming his death. Dream Harry holds his breath, his heart pounding, a shrill scream 'LIAR' the spell hits the witch, ice filling his veins, suffocating, he opens his eyes just in time to see the light leave hers.

Waking up suddenly, panting, nauseous, a cold sweat on clammy skin, concerned blue eyes find his panicking ones, soft warm hands on his cheeks, a soothing voice calling his name.

"Harry, are you all right?" he nods, his breathing is slowing

"I was back in the forest"

"Tell me what happened, why is it so bad after all this time?"

"I don't know why it's so bad, back then there wasn't a reason to fear that outcome"

"You aren't making any sense" his eyes focus back on Narcissa

"When you tell Voldemort I'm dead, he doesn't believe you, he kills you and that's when I wake up"

His head is turned away from her, she wishes that she could see his expression.

"Saving you was purely selfish, I only wanted to know that Draco was safe, but, days later he told me what happened in the room of requirement, I thought about you a lot after that"

"I dreamt about you, and it wasn't all nightmares, what does it mean?"

"Maybe nothing, maybe everything"

"To me it's everything, Narcissa, I have enjoyed every minute I've spent with you, I want to be with you, I love you"

"I love you too" there was no going back now.

_A/N : I hope it wasn't too cheesy, apologies, I may tinker with it at a later date._


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N : To all you lovely people who are following and enjoying this story, you have my thanks, this chapter must have a special mention to Salce, who gave me the platform I needed to write this chapter, either on purpose or by accident._

_Also there is a little bit of swearing, I set the rating as 'M' mainly to cover my own ass, but I do like a bit of a swear, and I think it's pretty tame, but you have been warned._

_I own nothing, I've not made any money, It's for the sheer joy of it, and for the people who read the first chapter and thought they'd stick around and see how it pans out. Keep reading, please review, PM, anything you like, ultimately, you keep this going._

_Enough of the soppy stuff and onwards with Chapter 7._

**Chapter Seven**

Getting out of bed was an unpleasant experience most mornings, but getting out of the bed he was sharing with Narcissa was a cruel and unusual punishment, he glanced over at her sleeping form, a rookie mistake, Harry wanted nothing more than to slip back into bed but he had things to do, he settled for kissing her lightly on her shoulder, covering her back up as he straightened the duvet, he crossed the room to the chair, pulling on a pair of faded blue jeans, a crisp white t-shirt and a charcoal coloured shirt, he then hunted for some socks, and a pair of trainers.

In the dimly lit kitchen he foraged for something resembling breakfast, settling on toast and a cup of tea, Harry didn't like to call on Kreacher for every tiny thing, he was fighting a losing battle against bone idle laziness, he already apparated everywhere, or used the floo network. Fed and watered, he grabbed a light jacket and headed out of the front door.

A lot of Harry's hot headedness had dissipated as he got older, but today it was back with a vengeance, it was much earlier than he first thought and cursed himself for not having the good sense to look at a clock before leaving, he didn't want to go back inside, a thought popped into his head and a smile crept onto his face, pulling up the image, he vanished.

Harry found himself standing on a street corner in an attractive suburb, the house opposite looked like a picture postcard, the trellis over the gate covered in a decorative creeping plant, Virginia creeper covered over half of the house, the garden looked wild but not untidy, he crossed the road and let himself through the gate, a light burned brightly in the kitchen, he followed the path to the stable style back door and knocked loudly.

A shockingly familiar face greets him as the door is opened, he swallows hard, taking in the look of the woman, soft friendly eyes, much lighter hair, cascading curls, and a smile, genuine and warm, nothing like the hard sneer of her sister, Andromeda Tonks pulls Harry into a hug and ushers him through into the cosy kitchen.

"Good morning stranger, what brings you here?"

"I thought I was long overdue a visit, I set out earlier than I intended and knew you'd be up"

"I honestly can't remember what having a lie in is like, tea?"

"Yes please, how's Ted?"

"Oh, you know, into everything, more energy than you could possibly imagine, infinitely curious, he asks about Dora and Remus all the time, he can change his appearance just like Dora, but he wants to be a wolf like his dad, he makes his hair like a wolf's coat and howls a lot, it's wearing thin, but he's a child" Harry can tell she's loving every minute.

Right on cue, a small handsome little boy comes barrelling into the kitchen on all fours and pounces at Harry, he scoops up the wolf boy with relative ease, he tickles him mercilessly, Teddy laughs until he squeals, the tickle attack ends and little arms hug Harry's neck tightly

"Hey Ted, I've missed you little man, sorry for the tickles, but I thought I had to defend myself against a wild wolf attack" the little boy looks delighted

"It was just me, but I fooled you Harry"

"You sure did, are you being good for your Grandma?"

"Most of the time" he must have got that mischievous look from his mother

"I'm too young to be a Grandma" grumbles Andromeda handing Harry a steaming cup of tea

Teddy wriggles his way back to the floor and bounds off into the house somewhere.

"You look distracted Harry, is everything ok?"

"Yeah, well, no, not really" he sips his tea "it's over between me and Ginny"

"I wasn't expecting that, I'm sorry to hear that Harry but how come?

"We married too young, I just don't love her that way any more"

"Have you told anyone else?"

"No, only you, and I hadn't planned on that"

"I wish you luck, I'm sure everyone will understand"

"A wise man once said that sometimes you have to choose between what's right and what's easy, I chose easy, I felt it was expected of me, but now I need to do what is right"

Andromeda places her cup on the side and hugs the young man. They spend an enjoyable hour chatting and catching up, a quick look at the clock and Harry decides that it's time to leave

"You come back soon, you're always welcome, Teddy loves you, and I do miss adult conversation"

"Thanks for the tea, and I won't leave it so long next time"

Harry waves at the pair standing in the door until they are obscured from view, he thinks about the house he shared with Ginny and vanishes. It was a handsome looking single storey building, with a nice garden, set right on the outskirts of a sleepy muggle town, high hedges surround it on all sides, providing complete privacy, it was one of the reasons they had bought the place.

Stepping into the hallway the house seems empty, his suspicions are confirmed when he checks the bedroom, he pulls some suitcases from under the bed and fills them with all of his clothes, a few personal items get thrown on top and that's the bedroom cleared, he drags the cases out into the hallway.

Pictures line the wall, Harry and Ginny smiling out from most of them, the wedding day, holidays, family ones, well her family, he should feel devastated but doesn't, the weight he imagined carrying seems to be lessened, getting lighter all the time. His gaze falls upon a great picture, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Luna and Neville smile down on him, he removes it from it's hook and stows it in the nearest suitcase.

The living room is spacious, there isn't anything in here that he feels inclined to take, moving to a side room, he enters his study, his old school trunk sits in the corner, with a few flicks of his wand the room is neatly packed into the trunk, it's mostly paperwork, newspaper cuttings, odds and ends he'd collected over the years, the trunk is moved to the hallway, for a split second he considers leaving a note and going. Deciding that's unacceptable behaviour and that Ginny deserves better, and as a Gryffindor he should be better, he heads into the kitchen to make a drink.

The kettle whistles a shrill note, boiling water is poured into a cup, the clink of a spoon is the only sound, the front door opens and closes seconds later, footsteps stop abruptly in the hall, Harry's heart jumps to his throat, Ginny steps into the kitchen, they smile weakly at each other, an overwhelming need to busy himself and Harry makes her a coffee and sets the cup on the side, sitting himself on one of the stools, she does the same.

"I hoped this day would never come" Harry is so glad she spoke first

"Me too, I'm so sorry Gin"

"I know we married far too young, it worked for mum and dad, and I hoped that would be the same for us, maybe if we hadn't rushed things would have been different"

"Maybe, I've been telling myself for months that it was just a rocky patch"

"Does it have anything to do with Narcissa Black?" the question shocks Harry

"Yes, in a way, among other things" he fails to meet the red head's eyes

"That night in the Forbidden Forest, you never told anyone about it, but she knows?"

"Yes"

"Why her? What the fuck makes her so damn special?"

"It's not like that, she made it possible to defeat Voldemort, without her intervention I would have died right there in that clearing" the anger fades from Ginny's face.

"I wish you could have opened up about it to me" she sounds completely dejected

"I'm sorry, I can't, I couldn't"

She closes the space between them and hugs him, after a time, he hugs her back, it's done, they both knew it was over, the relief is tangible.

"You can keep this place" she looks surprised

"Really?"

"Yes, I insist, it's the least I can do, I'll deal with the rest, if that's ok" he couldn't bring himself to say divorce

"I'll do what needs to be done, I won't fight you, you've had your fair share of hardships, I couldn't add to that"

"I'm grateful, I'll send Kreacher for my things, bye Ginny, Sorry"

She didn't cry, and nor did he, her strength always impressed him, he looks back at her one last time, stepping outside, Harry apparates blind. Finding himself outside the Leaky Cauldron, it was clear that his mind had a plan for him, stepping inside the familiar building he's greeted immediately by Tom, the toothy barman, all drinks ordered by the Golden Trio are free while he draws breath, that's what he said, Harry declines the offered drink, it's still far too early for that, although his nerves are screaming for a little something.

He taps the bricks in the small courtyard and the archway to Diagon Alley forms, and he proceeds onto the familiar cobbles, Florean Fortescue refuses to let him past without trying his latest creation, how can anyone turn down free ice cream? As usual it's sublime, the man truly is a genius.

He's tempted to pop in and see Ollivander, but not today, also a trip to Gringotts is on the cards, that will not be a happy event, though largely forgiven, there was a distinct atmosphere whenever he set foot into the place. Constantly being patted on the back and congratulated as he travels towards his destination is starting to wear thin, at last he makes it to his destination and practically falls into the Weasley joke shop, the place is heaving with customers.

Harry can't help browsing, winding his way to the back of the shop, a tall, gangly man has his back to him.

"What in the name of Merlin's baggy underpants, do you have to do to get service around here?"

"Listen here you jumped up little git, you'll get thrown out with that attitude" the reaction from Ron upon spotting Harry was epic, he tripped over a stepping stool and pulled several shelves of goods down on him in the process.

The swearing got louder as Harry magically repaired Ron's handiwork. With a face as red as his hair, Ron emerges, flicks Harry and incredibly rude hand gesture and motions for him to follow, a hastily yelled order for someone to mind the shop, Harry assumed there were others working and his best friend hadn't left the place to be run by customers.

They enter a cosy office, it contains a desk and a few comfy chairs, a drink is thrust into Harry's hand before he can mount a protest, shrugging slightly, he reasons that the sun must be over the yardarm somewhere in the world.

"So what I have I done to deserve this unexpected pleasure, mate?"

"I was in the area and thought I'd drop in"

"Bollocks, I know you better than that, you always let me know when you're about"

"It's over, Me and Ginny I mean"

"Oh bloody hell Harry, I'm sorry, was it the uncontrolled magic thing? Mum and dad don't blame you, Ginny never blamed you either"

Ron had changed so much since school, there was a time when he would have been the last person Harry confided in, he still expected the old Ron to resurface, she is his sister after all, but instead Harry was just faced with Ron, his best friend, and that was a blessed relief

"It was a lot of things Ron, too young, too busy in our own lives, we drifted apart"

Ron laid a big hand on Harry's shoulder and turns it into an awkward manly hug, he doesn't mind.

"How about we go and visit mum and dad, they will understand mate, mum will probably blame herself for piling on the pressure, you'll be hugged to within an inch of your life, she'll notice that you're still a scrawny little git and force about three meals down you, but it's best not to dwell, and they'd appreciate hearing it from you"

"Ok, let's do it"

"Meet me outside, I need to make sure there's someone in charge before I head off"

Ten minutes later, the two men stand on a tall hill looking out over the small magical community of Ottery St Catchpole, the Burrow clearly visible, they are barely through the gate when the instantly recognisable form of Molly Weasley comes marching out to greet them, Ron's muffled 'Gerroff mum' makes Harry chuckle, soon he's pulled into a similar embrace, the closest thing he ever had to family, he really hopes they take the news as well as Ginny and Ron had.

Inside the house he shakes hands with Arthur, Molly makes herself busy in the kitchen and the men move into the living room, Molly bustles in with a big tray of drinks and biscuits.

"Harry's got a bit of bad news, wanted to tell you himself" that's more like the old Ron, crumbs flying from his mouth as he speaks

"Yes, I thought you'd want to hear it from me, Ginny and I, well, we, it's over, I'm sorry"

The silence is deafening, he doesn't dare to look at the faces of the people around him, Mr Weasley coughs but doesn't say anything, Harry can feel his face becoming very warm, and before he realised what was happening Mrs Weasley had him in a bone crushing hug.

"I blame myself, Dear, Arthur and I, we married almost straight out of Hogwarts, I feel dreadful, all that pressure I must've placed on you, war forced you to be adults, but you were both still so young, I shouldn't have rushed you"

This went on for quite some time, Harry's heart swelled for this utterly amazing family, he saw Arthur rolling his eyes at his wife, suggesting she let the boy breathe.

"Thank you both for understanding"

"You're a good boy Harry, a fine man, you've done so much for our family, we'd never bear any ill will towards you, these things happen"

"Thank you Mr Weasley, you've no idea how much that means to me"

"Of course you'll stay for lunch, you're looking awfully thin Harry, are you eating well?"

"Yes Mrs Weasley, Kreacher makes sure I remember to eat"

Lunch is fantastic, it reminds Harry of times before Voldemort's second rise to power, before the loss of so many people, glancing over at the wonderful clock, Fred's hand points out into nothing, the only other change to the clock face is the removal of mortal peril, it was either a sign that peace was here to stay for good, or during the war it was constantly occupied, and no one needed to be reminded of that.

Feeling way too full, Harry makes his goodbyes and readies to leave, Ron protests but to no avail, Hermione is the last person he needs to visit today and he already feels awful that she will be the last to know, he contemplates sweetening the deal by telling her something the others don't know, but he's not sure how ready or willing he is to share.

By the time Harry reaches the top of the hill, sweat is running down his face, salt burns his eyes, he sits back on the tufty grass, catching his breath and mopping the sweat from his face, when he's cooled down, he stands and apparates to Hogsmeade.

The town has hardly changed, it was mostly untouched during the battle for Hogwarts, Zonko's is now the Hogsmeade branch of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, and their stock list probably doubles as the list of forbidden items that Filch has on the wall in his office. The town is moderately busy, a few students are wandering around, a few of the more observant ones nudge their friends and point at Harry as he walks towards the castle.

Passing through the gates and protective barriers without incident surprises the young man, the figure coming out of the main doors to meet him, tells him that they are at least aware someone has entered the grounds. The way they are dressed, the way they move, it could only be Minerva McGonagall.

"Potter, to what do we owe this pleasure?"

"Hello Professor, you're looking well, I've come to see Hermione"

"Of course, I take it you know the way?"

"I hope so, it's been a while since I had to attend Transfiguration, I think I was only late once and that was in my first year"

The old witch's mouth curls up at the corners, she leaves him at the main staircase and goes off on her way. Harry walks familiar halls, lost in memories, occasionally dragged back into the now by a surprised pupil, the famous Harry Potter has returned to Hogwarts, he chuckles to himself, eventually he stops outside a classroom, memories rush back to him, smiling at nothing in particular he bangs on the door. It's wrenched open with enough force he's amazed it's still on its hinges, a very irate and bushy haired woman stares at the person who dared disturb her, and then he's being squeezed to death once more and suffocating in wild brunette curls.

"Please let me breathe, between you and Mrs Weasley I may be the first person to be hugged to death" she looks a little sheepish as she steps back, he straightens his glasses

"Harry, sorry, I was busy, you know how I hate interruptions, this is most welcome, come in"

The room has barely changed, apart from an impressive number of bookshelves, it looked to Harry as if Hermione had relocated the entire school library.

"How have you been Hermione?"

"Great, I mean, McGonagall has left some pretty impressive boots to fill, and I'm head of Gryffindor, it's a lot to live up to"

"You could do it in your sleep" she blushes

"So, what brings you here?"

"I just had lunch with the Weasleys, thought I'd come see how you are"

"I've known you for years Harry, you didn't come here for a social visit"

"Do I have something written on my face? Everyone has said something similar to me today"

"We just know you, who else have you seen today?"

"Andromeda and Teddy, Ginny, Ron, Mr and Mrs Weasley and you"

"I'm glad you remembered me" she shoves him playfully, he smiles at her, the brains of the Trio, Harry knows he'd have died a long time ago without her "you see Ginny all the time though, why did you need a special trip to see her" her eyes widen as the puzzle pieces slot into place.

Once again Harry is trapped in a hug, trust Hermione to work it out in no time at all, he lets her get on with it, wondering if it's too soon to tell her about Narcissa, although, if anyone could deal with that little nugget of information, it would be the woman in front of him, maybe he could tell her about the events in the Forbidden Forest, once she knew that Narcissa was his saviour, would she make the connection, he's lost in thought until he hears his name called, the hug has ended.

"So why, what happened, are you ok, how's Ginny, does Ron and his mum and dad know?"

"Hermione, slow down" she smiles apologetically and mimes zipping her mouth

"It was a long time coming, I didn't love her any more, Ginny took it better than expected as did Ron and his parents, you reacted as expected" he smiles at her, she wrinkles her nose at him

"How are the nightmares?"

"Still there, less frequent but much more vivid, How about you?"

"Occasionally they come back, I've made peace with most of it" Harry notices her holding her arm, her hand covering the spot where Bellatrix's mark is, he makes a mental note to ask Narcissa about it.

"Where will you live?"

"12 Grimmauld Place, I let Ginny keep the house"

"That's nice, I know she loves that place, How are you coping?"

"It's not that bad, Walburga no longer screams at me, Kreacher is like a different elf and by degrees the house is looking good, I'll have to invite you and Ron round for dinner"

"I'd like that, I haven't been there since the day Yaxley followed us from the Ministry"

"You'll be pleased to know that I actually fend for myself and give Kreacher time off"

"I'm so proud of you"

"If anyone else said that, I'd swear they were making fun of me"

Hermione convinced Harry to stay for a while longer, her next class would be thrilled to meet the famous Harry Potter, Harry was not keen on the idea at all, but the young witch persevered, eventually changing tactics and whining the word please, followed by a generous helping of emotional blackmail.

He finally agreed, his resistance was expected, he despised being in the spot light, but there was no way he would actually let Hermione down. The students file in, the busy chatter stops almost immediately, replaced by whispering and furtive glances.

Harry had never seen Hermione in teacher mode, she effortlessly channelled her inner McGonagall, and he doubted the class would ever dare step out of line. Once allotted their tasks for the lesson a few of the braver ones asked him to sign pieces of parchment and the occasional book, some just wanted to talk, all in all it wasn't nearly as bad as he first imagined, in fact he quite enjoyed himself, they were a polite bunch, he almost wished he'd put in an application for the Defence Against the Dark Arts job.

With class over, the two friends chatted easily, Harry talked about his plans for Grimmauld place and Hermione talked about school, it was fast approaching dinner time, the great hall would be filling up.

"Why not stay? I'm sure we could find you a room"

"There's no need, I'll just floo home"

"Do you have to work?"

"No, but Narcissa will be round later"

The words had left his mouth before his brain could stop it, shit!


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N : Once again, I own nothing, etc_

_A late mention for magitech, who influenced my characterisation of the Weasleys, hopefully for the better._

_This chapter is shameless filler, but the next chapter will hopefully be a really good one._

_Much thanks to Salce, for being my beta, _

_Reviews, ideas and thoughts about anything are more than welcome, I hope you enjoy this chapter, it gave me an excuse to write a bit more about the early stages of this blossoming relationship._

_On the subject of jumping back in time, I apologise if I don't make the shift back and forth obvious, that's my fault, the random quotes in bold type are the places changes happen, sorry for the confusion. Further apologies if my explanation actually made it worse xD_

**Chapter Eight**

They stood there just staring at each other, Hermione's eyes wide with shock, Harry looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights. His mind raced, searching for some plausible way of explaining away what had just come tumbling from his mouth, before he can mount a reasonable defence, the young brunette finds her voice.

"If I heard you correctly, Narcissa Malfoy comes round to your house, socially?"

"It's Narcissa Black now, and yes she does, sometimes she even stays the night"

"You mean, you, her, her and you" her incoherence would be amusing at any other time

"Yes" she sits down heavily

"Harry, you cheated on Ginny with that woman?

"I'm sorry Hermione, but it's really no one's business"

She huffs in indignation but Harry was in no mood to defend his every move, he didn't want to lose her as a friend, but he was master of his own life now, she didn't have to like his choices, but he hoped she could respect the fact that they are his choices to make. He wasn't sure why he was so protective of the details of what transpired in the Forbidden forest, but he already regretted telling Ginny that Narcissa had saved him.

Whatever the witch was about to say died on her tongue, he could see her digesting the information and trying to find the words for a response. Harry could sympathise with her internal struggle, her loyalty and love for him, and a vested interest in his happiness and well being, but finding that happiness with a woman who stood by and let her deranged sister torture her, maybe that would be a step too far.

"Putting aside the fact that she stood by and did nothing while her sister chatted to me, girl to girl, how on earth did it happen? I just can't picture a scenario where you two meet and become romantically involved" her voice is bordering on hysterical.

"At the time I thought Narcissa, Lucius and Draco just looked scared witless, apart from that and some pure blooded snobbery, she hasn't really done anything, and she's not like that, it's mostly an act"

"So how did it happen, I want details, not _those_ details" she adds hastily

"I'm not going to talk about it right now, I know it slipped out but you are the only person who knows, in a way I'm pleased, I trust you and when I feel ready to talk about it, I will come and tell you, please just let me have this, I'm happy, that's good right?"

She nods, he gives her a hug, the hug is returned and they say their goodbyes, Harry promises to keep up the offer of getting together for food, drinks and catching up, grabbing a handful of floo powder he stands in the flames and heads home.

He steps out into the kitchen, Kreacher is nowhere to be seen, he fixes himself a drink, the stress of the last few hours all but melts away, placing his cup on the side he heads up the stairs, he exchanges a few pleasantries with the formidable Walburga Black, before heading up to the first floor and proceeding to the next staircase, as his foot touches the first step he changes his mind and walks down the hall, stepping into his tapestry room. Ever since Narcissa had given him this astounding gift, he would come in here, taking it all in, learning the names and faces, he had been surprised when the link between himself and Ginny had begun to fade, it was subtle at first, becoming more pronounced, what struck Harry as strange, was that it had started happening long before he'd decided to split from Ginny.

Looking at it now, the link was completely gone, but there seemed to be another change taking place, he ran his fingers over the material, it was like the softest silk. Kreacher appears and bows low.

"Evening Kreacher, is everything ok?"

"Kreacher didn't mean to intrude"

"That's fine"

"Mistress asked Kreacher to give you this"

A long fingered hand holds out a neatly folded piece of parchment, He takes it, thanks the elf and carefully unfolds it.

_Harry,_

_ I hope your day went well, I won't lie, I was disappointed when I woke up alone, I so wanted to be there this evening but Draco is visiting, I know you'll understand._

_Send Kreacher for me when you're next free, you can tell me all about your day._

_Narcissa_

_P.S. I have grown used to sleeping with you, I will miss you tonight._

Slipping the note into his pocket he leaves the room and heads up to his bedroom, he takes out the note and places it on his bedside table along with his glasses, he takes off his clothes and drops them into the laundry basket, remembering to grab a towel, he crosses the hall to have a shower.

He washes at a leisurely pace, taking the time to shave and wash his hair, feeling clean and relaxed, he quickly dries himself and goes back to his room.

He pulls on some loose fitting pyjama trousers and slides beneath the covers, he shuffles to the other side of the bed, it still smells of her, yet the bed looked freshly made, if she wanted to get under his skin, she was succeeding.

When he woke up alone he shared Narcissa's disappointment, he quickly dresses and heads down to the kitchen, he was grateful for Kreacher's breakfast, and ate like a starving man. Feeling full but not uncomfortably so, he was about to send for Narcissa when he felt the unmistakeable call to work, he cursed under his breath for ever showing Kingsley how Dumbledore's Army used to communicate, the coins were now standard issue throughout the Ministry.

He grabs a handful of powder and throws it angrily into the flames, appearing in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic moments later, he gets into the nearest elevator and travels down to the lower levels. He steps out into a black tiled hall, torch lights flicker, distorted reflections off the tiles play tricks on the eyes, he walks to the door at the end, footsteps echo loudly in the quiet corridor.

Tapping the door at the end with his wand and it dissolves into a smoke like substance, he passes through, he taps a wall of this octagonal room and it starts to spin, the blue torchlight blurring into a harsh line across his retinas. He leaves the once spinning room, and steps into his office, if he was expecting the reason for his summons to be here, he was very much mistaken.

Feeling annoyed that his time is being wasted, he opens a hidden panel at the back of his office, a reminder of the dark times, a macabre trophy cabinet containing Tom Riddle's Diary, Marvolo Gaunt's ring, Slytherin's Locket and Helga Hufflepuff's cup, all destroyed but identifiable, and the jewel in the crown, Voldemort's wand. He was never told how the Ministry acquired it, but it was entrusted to his department along with the charred remains of the Horcruxes. A polite cough from behind and he turns to see the impressive figure of Kingsley Shacklebolt entering the room

"I like to remind myself of the price we paid beating Voldemort" he says as way of explanation

"We would do well never to forget" his deep voice fills the room "sorry I wasn't here to meet you, I was held up"

"You don't have to apologise to me Minister, I did wonder why I'd been called in"

"I spoke to Arthur earlier this week, about a personal matter, he thought you'd appreciate discretion"

He holds out several sheets of paper, Harry takes them and starts reading.

"Just sign on the bottom of the last page" he hands Harry a quill

"Thank you Minister"

"I'm sorry it didn't work out Harry, I'll make sure these documents are processed and sealed, we wouldn't want that awful Skeeter woman getting wind of your divorce, the Ministry is no longer sick and corrupt, so I can say with hand on heart that we look after our own"

They shake hands, he takes the papers and leaves Harry's office. Turning back to the alcove, he looks over the items one last time and seals it up again. As he readies to leave there is a sharp knock on his door.

"Come in" a familiar face enters, pale, pointed features with slicked back blonde hair "Hi, Draco"

"Potter, I saw the Minister leaving and figured you were in, here's the reports from my trip"

"Thanks, I'll look them over"

"Thank you for calling me back early, I love the work, but it's good being home" the two men exchange small smiles.

Draco takes his leave, their working relationship was pretty good, Harry conceded, there didn't seem to be any animosity, the slight air of tension he had always attributed to the early years of school. It took a few years before he was able to bring up the incident in the bathroom, Draco believed him when he said he had no idea what 'Sectumsempra' did, the act of saving him from Fiendfyre had gone a long way towards making them even, it was good to know, Harry had carried the guilt of that event with him for years.

He had no idea how he would tell him about the growing relationship with his mother, hoping that a situation would present itself and that it would all just click into place, he chuckles at the idea of such optimism.

He headed back up to the atrium and took the floo network back home, he barely had time to brush himself down before Kreacher tells him Narcissa wants him to go to Malfoy manor, he steps back into the flames and out into a library, that on closer inspection is severely lacking in books. A familiar figure is curled up on a chaise lounge, Harry can't help but admire the sleeping woman, she is beautiful, her long blonde hair cascades down in gentle waves almost covering her face.

He quietly crosses the room and kneels down in front of her, he carefully moves her hair out of her face and places a chaste kiss on her slightly parted lips, eyelids flutter open, ice blue irises focus on the face in front of her.

"That's how I want to be woken up every time I fall asleep"

"I saw Draco at work earlier, he was pleased that I called him back earlier than he'd expected"

"He said as much to me when we spent the day together, he was missing Astoria"

"Kingsley came and finalised my divorce"

"You're all mine now" the smile growing on his face is stopped abruptly by Narcissa's lips.

"I've been yours for a long time now"

Narcissa uncurls herself to make room for Harry, he sits himself down and she makes herself comfortable against him and rests her head against his chest, she's eager to hear about his previous day's activities, he considers leaving out his visit to Andromeda, she takes it well, maybe he could help the sister's build some bridges.

She is a captive audience to his tale and even more surprised about the acceptance of Harry's news by the Weasleys, than Harry had been. Then he reached the part of the tale with Hermione, he wasn't sure how Narcissa would feel about him letting slip their secret.

"Hermione knows about us, it sort of slipped out"

"I see, how did that go?"

"I'm not sure, better than expected, what are you smirking at?"

"You of course, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pleased that you couldn't help thinking about me"

She grabs his chin between her thumb and forefinger, kissing him many times in quick succession.

"What did she have to say, will she tell anyone?"

"She was pretty shocked, a bit angry, she brought up the fact that you stood there and watched your sister torture her" a pained look crosses the woman's face "She won't tell anyone"

"Bella only did what she did to protect me, in her own twisted way, I'm still not certain what she was so worried about, all I know is that I trusted her to keep Draco and I safe, she suffered for your escape and took all the blame, the Dark Lord left her for dead, I'm not trying to justify her actions, or try to make you feel guilty" Narcissa lets out a heavy sigh "she never used to be like that, she was the best big sister, Andi and I adored her and she protected us"

Despite his hatred for Bellatrix, seeing the sadness in those blue eyes and the pain on her face all Harry could do was hold her tight, softly kissing the top of her head. Narcissa lets out a sigh, lifting her head she flicked her hair out of the way and laid her head back on his lap, she takes his left hand and places is over her heart, running her fingertips over his knuckles up to his wrist and back down again. With his right hand he massages her head and plays with her hair, had Narcissa been a cat she'd be purring.

**The Trade of Kings**

Several months after Narcissa had given Harry the magical tapestry, he found himself on the lookout for a suitable gift for her, he found himself getting advice from her Aunt, and that was where the idea for the flowers had come from, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't take the credit for that, besides, it was more of an apology for not being at the house to save her from Ginny, now he was determined to find something himself.

With absolutely no idea what to buy an incredibly wealthy pure blooded witch, he had taken to wandering idly up and down Diagon Alley during his free time, but to no avail, after a few weeks of this he was still no closer to finding anything. Having successfully put it off thus far, but unable to put it off any longer he headed to Gringotts, he took a deep breath and pushed open the large double doors, his footsteps loud on the bright marble floor.

He slowly approached the head goblin. He can feel the eyes of many goblins watching his every move.

"Ah, Mr Potter, Always a pleasure, what can I do for you today?"

"I'd like to go to my vault please"

"Your vault?" the goblin raises his eyebrows, fixing him with beady, black eyes

"Yes, just my vault"

Harry hoped that was some kind of goblin humour, he had apologised to the heads of the goblin community, he had explained in detail why the Golden Trio had broken in, and despite the unpleasantness with Griphook, he had corroborated their story.

He followed an unfamiliar goblin to the mine cart, and after several stomach churning minutes he was standing inside his family vault, after sorting himself out a modest amount of walking around money, he had a proper look around, there wasn't anything that jumped out at him, aside from the cold, hard currency, there were jewels and jewellery, ancient books and parchment, and there on a low shelf, something was wrapped in a black cloth, it was almost invisible in the dim light of the vault.

He reached out to touch it, the cloth was soft and the item wrapped up in it was hard, he picked it up, it had a fair bit of weight to it, carefully removing the cloth revealed a beautifully crafted box with silver inlay, decorative hinges and a simple clasp. Sitting on a carved stone bench he rests the box on his knees and opens it, inside is a shallow stone bowl, runes are carved all around its edge, Harry recognises it as a Pensieve, an idea pops into his head, instead of giving her a material gift, he could give her memories.

Fed up of the goblin making impatient noises just outside the door, he packs the Pensieve away and steps out of his vault and into the cart. Stepping outside the bank, he leans against a marble column, basking in the warmth, drinking in lungfuls of fresh air.

He returns to the Leaky Cauldron to floo back home, first he takes the Pensieve to the living room and places it on a small table for later, then returns to the kitchen, limited mostly by ability, or lack thereof, he called on Kreacher to prepare food for his dinner date with Narcissa, Harry thoroughly enjoyed her company, they talked and played card games.

The table was set when Narcissa entered, Harry was uncorking a bottle of wine, the welcome was warmer and friendlier, this had become a regular occurrence and they both looked forward to it above all else, not that it was actually given a voice.

She seats herself at the table and takes the offered glass of wine, he takes his seat opposite and they chat about the minutiae of the day. Dinner is consumed in companionable silence, Harry finds himself stealing glances at the woman opposite, he cannot deny that she is beautiful, over the time since their unconventional friendship began, he had also noticed subtle changes and he enjoyed those the most, she was relaxed, and acted naturally, the pure blooded haughtiness appeared less often, she retained the intensity of her Black lineage, and revealed a side of herself so far removed from her usual icy demeanour.

As was customary, they retired to the living room for a few more drinks, but tonight there would be no card games, she made herself comfy in her favoured chair, he provided the drinks and placed the table holding the Pensieve between them, curiosity burning in her blue eyes.

"I wanted to do something for you, after the tapestry I was compelled, I couldn't think of anything, and then I found this in my vault at Gringotts" he gestures to the stone basin

"There's no need Harry, I hadn't expected anything in return"

"I know, but I wanted to, I'm not sure how good an idea this is, but I thought I would share some of my memories with you"

"I am quite proficient at Legilimency"

"No thanks, I had a very bad experience with that at the hands of Snape, and with the Pensieve we can view the memories together, it seems like the better choice"

"How can I argue with that" she smiles at him.

He hadn't actually given this a lot of thought, but he had selected a memory that he hoped would be of interest to Narcissa, he touched his wand to his temple and as he drew it away a luminescent silvery thread was attached to the tip, he placed it in the bowl. Ladies first, and Harry follows, they stand together in Dumbledore's office, the Headmaster sits at his desk while an irate Severus Snape paces back and forth.

The conversation between the two wizards doesn't last long and soon the spectators were back in Grimmauld Place.

"Dumbledore knew about the Dark Lord's plans for Draco, he trusted Snape without question, I always thought Bella's mistrust of Severus was jealousy, I went to his house and we made an unbreakable vow so I could protect my son, I was shocked when he agreed"

"Severus Snape was a remarkable man, I know what to show you next"

Harry removes several strands of memories and places them in the bowl, he was equal parts scared and excited, this was one of his biggest secrets.

The pair are standing in a park, two girls are playing on the swings, the girls are arguing until startled by the appearance of an oddly dressed, black haired young boy, the scene changes, they are laying by a lake and the boy is talking animatedly, next they are boarding the scarlet steam engine for their first term at Hogwarts, the friendship remains despite the boy being a Slytherin and the girl a Gryffindor.

As much as he loves seeing his mother and father, he knows what's coming and a knot forms tight in his stomach, his mother pleads with Severus not to join the death eaters, his father, Sirius and Lupin humiliating him, Lily comes to his defence, he calls her a mudblood, the friendship is no more.

Back in the living room, Harry's face feels hot, it was much more emotional than he had anticipated, Narcissa looks stunned, she leans across and tenderly cups his face with her hand, her skin cool and soft, he lets his eyes drift shut.

"Severus grew up with your mother, and loved her his whole life?" She whispers the words

"Yes, he risked everything to try and save her"

"No one knew he was a half blood?"

"I don't think so"

"Thank you for showing me" he nods and smiles

"For a Slytherin, he had an awful lot of Gryffindor courage"

"Bella was right about him all along, she never kept quiet about it, but the Dark Lord wouldn't hear it"

"Voldemort is a half blood too, his father was a muggle, from a rich muggle family, his mother's family lived in the village, she fell in love with him, her feelings were not returned so she ensnared him using Amortentia" Narcissa's eyes widen

Eager to find out more the rest of the evening is spent sharing memories.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N : I own nothing, I'm still as poor as ever, so definitely not making any money from this_

_Thanks to my beta, Salce, who only read the preliminary version of this chapter, so hopefully the changes will be a nice surprise for all his hard work._

_A small mention for , I tried to get this chapter out ASAP to prevent any kind of make up related incident, _

_Big thanks to the rest of you, I still try to reply to you all, thoughts and ideas are always welcomed, this is quite an important chapter, I hope you like it. There are some naughty words in this chapter, be warned_

**Chapter Nine**

**Peace Hath Her Victories**

"Harry? Harry?"

His chin is resting against his chest, he opens his eyes, Narcissa is gazing up at him inquisitively.

"You weren't asleep, but you were miles away, a knut for your thoughts"

"I was thinking about the night we spent with the Pensieve"

"I could scarcely believe what you showed me, anyway, I'm sorry for pulling you out of your thoughts but I was thinking about food, are you hungry?"

"Not really, you?"

"Perhaps I'll have something in a little while" she bites her bottom lip and looks at him lasciviously

She sits up suddenly and sits on his lap, draping her arms around his neck, she nibbles on his ear and kisses his neck.

"Tell me you love me" he capitulates "tell me you want me" again he submits, she keeps her voice seductively low, she stands and steps back "then come and get me"

Narcissa fixes her blue eyes on him, he looks back with lust filled eyes and she disapparates. He curses the unfairness of it to the room at large, pulling in a deep breath he sets off to locate her, the game is on.

He heads to the entrance hall and climbs the main stair, long corridors stretch off in each direction, with no idea where Narcissa's room is, he chooses a direction at random, and sets off looking for any clues that may point to her location. Halfway towards the first door he stops dead and presses his palm to his forehead, he pulls out his wand and whispers 'Homenum Revelio' he turns on his heel and heads in the opposite direction.

He enters the room, if he had been asked to describe the bedroom, Harry wouldn't have the faintest idea, he only had eyes for the woman lying in the middle of the bed, obviously naked, covered in thin sheets that hug her shape perfectly, accentuating each curve. Unable to tear his eyes away from her, uncooperative fingers attempt to remove his own clothes.

"You cheated"

"You didn't say magic wasn't allowed, um, this isn't the room you shared with..."

"No! Do try not to kill the mood, this is my room"

"Sorry"

Sliding in beside her she turns to face him and presses her body up against him, his hands travel a slow path around her body and up into her hair, slowly moving in for a kiss she closes her eyes in anticipation. In their time together she noticed that they were well matched, happy to submit or dominate depending on their moods or needs.

She kisses him fiercely, he catches her bottom lip with his teeth causing the older woman to let out a small moan, he seizes the advantage and claims her mouth with his tongue, she flexes her nails across his back. He lets out a small yelp of pain, they lock their eyes on each other, she's not the least bit sorry, she slowly licks her lips and winks at him.

Not to be outdone, he kisses her moistened lips, along her jaw, down her neck, stopping at her pulse point, sucking gently, she throws her head back offering all of her neck to him, he lingers there awhile before trailing hot kisses across her chest and stomach, her pale skin flushed, a thin sheen of sweat occasionally catching the light.

He pushes his arms straight, holding himself above Narcissa, he would occasionally take a few moments to enjoy this view, when he first did it she had felt shy and self conscious, but now she enjoyed his attentions, hungry green eyes take in every detail, he wets his lips, the slight salty tang lingering from kisses placed on her glistening skin. Pleading blue eyes go unnoticed, a leg hooks round his waist and arms wrap around, nails scraping little red paths down his back, she is successful in pulling their bodies back together, moans of pleasure vibrate against his neck, muffled, she enjoys his tenderness, and despite the slow pace, it was no less intense.

When Narcissa craved control, she was wild and vocal, nothing at all like Ginny, Harry couldn't help compare as she was the entire scope of his sexual knowledge, and compared to this fabulous woman, well, there was no comparison.

Eventually they break for food and drink, with their thirst and hunger sated, the appetite for each other is not. Narcissa had once told Harry that he made her feel like a horny teenager, something she had never really experienced in her youth due to the restrictions of her upbringing, she did not appreciate him laughing, once he explained that he'd never expected to hear those words from her mouth, with a few placating kisses thrown in for good measure, she stopped sulking.

Harry enjoyed the rare moments in which Narcissa opened up to him, he would always reciprocate, she kept her feelings well guarded while he would freely give a little bit more of himself to her, and in doing so the often rare moments became less so.

Something had awakened in the blonde witch, she was frequently inappropriate, not that Harry minded in the least, but the change was sometimes so profound he almost had to do a double take. For years he had never ever seen her smile, granted, he had only ever seen her a few times, now he lived for her smile.

Finally spent, happy and satisfied they fall asleep, limbs wrapped around each other and tangled in sheets. In the morning Harry wakes Narcissa up with gentle kisses an act that she proclaims she could very quickly become accustomed to.

"Stay with me today, Draco and Astoria are coming round, what better time to tell him" Harry looks nothing short of horrified

"I was hoping we could put that off as long as possible"

"You still need to offer him his promotion, so we can start with that, and when the moment is right, tell him about us"

"I'm not so sure" she props herself up on her elbow to look at him properly

"This is important to me, please"

"How could I ever say no to you, probably shouldn't have said that out loud, I guess I'll have to trust you not to abuse the power you have over me"

"Would I?"

"All signs would point to yes" the look of mock hurt, hand over her heart, the smirk and fluttering eyelashes, Harry rolls his eyes at her, falling back heavily onto the mattress.

When they eventually got out of bed and dressed, most of the morning had gone, they ate a very late breakfast. Harry had Kreacher bring him the paperwork for Draco's promotion, he was going to go back and get it himself, but Narcissa was unwilling for them to be parted, and he liked that side of her a lot.

As it got closer to Draco's arrival every nerve in his body was on high alert and his stomach felt like it was on a washing machine spin cycle. They were sat together on a sofa in a cosy side room.

"Doesn't your hair ever do as its told" she laughs while half heartedly attempting to tame it

A noise from the direction of the door makes the pair flinch and pull apart, each looking a little guilty, composing herself in seconds, she crosses the room and hugs her son, she turns to the young woman at his side and they give each other a friendly peck on the cheek. The introductions are made, Harry shakes Astoria by the hand, and they sit back down at a small circular table, an elf brings refreshments.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Potter" ever since they first met, Draco's distinctive drawl hadn't changed one bit.

"I invited him, he's here as my guest" he raises his eyebrows but says no more

Astoria seems to be a very pleasant woman, she smiles warmly at Harry and talks animatedly to him and Narcissa while Draco looks on in mild annoyance. Every now and again Narcissa gives Harry's knee a reassuring squeeze underneath the table, the contact becomes more frequent, her hand staying on his leg for longer, he catches her eye and sees the look of mischief on her face, thankfully Draco and Astoria don't notice.

Wondering what on earth the blonde is thinking, he doesn't have to wait long to find out, her hand, warm on his leg, moving slowly upwards, her nails dragged teasingly up his inner thigh, he jumps a tiny amount making his chair scrape loudly on the wooden floor, Draco's eyes narrow with suspicion, and Harry feels a flush of heat on his cheeks, Narcissa is the picture of innocence.

"A little jumpy aren't we Potter?" what he wouldn't give to wipe the smirk off Draco's face

"Just a touch of cramp in my leg" he rubs his calf to keep up the pretence and shoots Narcissa a dirty look

Harry sets his chair back and sits down, the quartet pick up the conversation from where they left off, Astoria, a highly skilled healer at St Mungo's, was regaling them with stories of the more bizarre and amusing things she'd dealt with during her time there. Even Draco cracked a smile after a particularly entertaining story of emergency wand removal.

"All this talk of work reminds me, I have something work related to talk to Draco about, but I left the paperwork in the library, please excuse me for just a moment"

Harry stands and leaves the room, he crosses the vast entrance hall and finds the library, the door clicks shut behind him. He searches the tables near the collection of chairs, he could have sworn this was where he had left it, walking between the towering shelves, he looks for the small desk he had seen once in passing.

He nears the back of the room and it's a little bit further down on the right, he has a cursory look through the papers littered across it, so wrapped up in his search he fails to notice that he's not alone. Pale arms snake around his waist, anticipating a fairly violent reaction of surprise, the arms hold him with an unexpected amount of strength, the hands lay flat against his chest and can feel the hammering heart against his ribcage.

"You scared the shit out of me"

"Watch your language, I didn't mean to scare you"

Narcissa circles round until they are face to face, she sits on the desk top scattering papers all over the floor, she pulls him closer with her legs, now that she has him right where she wants him, she grabs a handful of shirt and pulls him into a kiss, once Harry had recovered from his initial shock, he kisses her back with just as much passion. Her hand finds the back of his head, the points of her nails set off a prickling sensation across his scalp, he gently places his warm hands on her hips, sliding around to the small of her back, she likes being kissed there, so he traces his fingers gently over that spot.

An almighty bang rattles the windows, the two lovers spring apart, green eyes and blue eyes turn to the source of the noise, Draco looks apoplectic, red sparks fire intermittently from the tip of his wand, he is gripping it so tight his knuckles are white and they can see the colour draining from his face.

Another bang, nowhere near as loud as the first, Harry slams backwards against the shelf grunting in pain, he extracts his wand and casts a simple shield charm, Narcissa's barely audible plea for him to not hurt her son causes him to swallow his pride, he would let Draco vent his anger, he was confident in his defensive abilities and his affection for the beautiful witch mattered more than scoring a few points against the young man who has every right to be angry.

Straightening his glasses and stepping away from the bookshelf, he walks out into open space and stares into Draco's cold grey eyes, Harry can see the anger flashing in them. Several spells cast in quick succession bounce harmlessly off Harry's shield, a vase shatters, a painting becomes dislodged much to the displeasure of its occupant. Harry casts a few simple hexes, not intending to hit his target but cast with enough power to force his opponent on the defence.

"I'll make you pay for whatever charm you've used on my mother, fight me Potter, or are you just a coward" flecks of spit fly from his mouth as he shouts the words

"There is nothing cowardly about not wanting to hurt someone"

The growing sneer across Draco's face is twisted, ugly and full of hatred, Harry recasts his shield charm, stronger this time, a few beads of sweat betray the fatigue of the angry young man, spell after spell flies from the tip of Draco's wand rendered impotent by Harry's shield charm.

"Draco! What in merlin's name is going on?"

"Stand back Tori, this is between me and Potter"

He sends a few more jinxes towards Harry to no avail.

"Tell me what this is about or I swear you'll be sleeping on the sofa until I decide otherwise"

His wand arm drops slightly after sending one last, half hearted spell towards the black haired man. Narcissa walks over and stands next to Harry, quietly thanking him, with Draco momentarily distracted by his furious wife, she gives him a peck on the cheek and he feels uncomfortably hot all of a sudden, the blonde witch chuckles softly, and playfully pinches his backside, totally inappropriate.

Astoria's voice cuts through the silence "So?" she crosses her arms across her chest, Draco has the good sense to look a little ashamed

"I caught Potter violating my mother, he's obviously bewitched her" she raises her eyebrows at him.

"Violated"

"He was kissing her, it amounts to the same thing" he looks like a scolded child complete with pout

A gentle tap on his arm and Harry tunes out of the brewing domestic to look at Narcissa.

"While it's like this perhaps it would be best if you went home and I'll deal with this"

"I don't want to leave you"

"That's sweet, but I can deal with this, Astoria will help"

With no reason to argue with the woman, her eyes flick to the rooms other two occupants and then back to Harry, they kiss and he walks to the fireplace. As he's walking towards the fireplace he hears his name and he can't help eavesdrop.

"Draco, I highly doubt Harry would do anything to your mother, or are you forgetting what a powerful witch she is? (Draco mumbles something unintelligible) You said yourself that she had been miserable stuck in this place, then all of a sudden she was happy, you said she was like a new woman" she pokes him hard in the shoulder before continuing "I think it's great, there hasn't been a union between the Potters and Blacks for over fifty odd years, you should be happy for her"

He never thought that Draco's wife would be fighting in his corner, feeling strangely uplifted by what he had just heard he stepped into the green flames and returned home. He stops by his tapestry room, the link between himself and Narcissa had fully formed not that long ago, but that was not why he was here, he walked back through the decades until he saw two names, Charlus Potter and Dorea Black, it seemed that Astoria was spot on and was surprised he hadn't noticed before, after all he had spent a lot of time poring over the tapestry.

He steps into the living room and pours himself a drink, picking up the Daily Prophet he sets his wand and glass on the table and sits himself down. There is nothing in the paper that really grabs his attention so he just throws it onto the chair opposite, he stands, picking up his glass he walks over to the window and looks out onto the square outside.

As he gazes into the middle distance sipping at the amber liquid and savouring the burn, he smiles to himself, it seemed that every time Narcissa had come to visit she would find him staring out of this window, he found it relaxing, Kreacher pops in, mutters something and pops out again, Harry just shrugs his shoulders to the world in general.

Trusting his instincts had served Harry well in the past, he was no longer alone.

"Evening Draco, have you come to kill me?" he turns to his guest, he's standing in the doorway, his wand pointing right at Harry "How did you manage to get away from your wife and mother?"

"Still so cocky, you don't even have your wand, the manor is a big place, I stormed off to cool off"

"Can I get you a drink? It's Fire Whiskey, I assume it's a good one, it came from your father's liquor cabinet" the anger flares in Draco's grey eyes

Harry moves over to the drinks cabinet and the wand trained on him follows his every move, he fetches a second glass and pours out a generous measure.

"You think you're so fucking funny Potter"

"Kiss your mother with that mouth?" he regretted the words as soon as he said them, visibly shaking with rage, Draco shoots a spell at Harry leaving a nasty cut across his cheek, a small amount of the drinks he's holding splash over the rim of the glasses, he places them down and wipes blood from the stinging cut.

Harry can feel his own anger rising, he strides over to Draco who is too slow to react, he stands there wide eyed as he's grabbed by the arm and dragged to a room opposite. He is roughly shoved over to Harry's section of the tapestry.

"Look, I assume you've seen this kind of tapestry before, tell me what you see"

"That's not possible" Draco has all but gone limp. "It's still wrong to drag my mother into a sordid affair, her reputation has suffered enough"

"What are you on about?"

"You, carrying on with my mother and then you head home to fuck the weasel"

Harry takes a deep breath, glad that his wand is in another room as the temptation to cause Draco some serious harm is overwhelming.

"Remember the day I had the Minister in my office?" He just nods "that was so he could finalise my divorce, he dealt with it personally" it's almost funny watching Draco unravel before his eyes.

"I divorced her because I wanted to be with Narcissa"

"I should have noticed, it's all so obvious now" this statement has Harry confused

"What do you mean?"

"My job, the Auror's looking after my mother, it's all too good to be true" his voice is full of bitter resentment

"I thought you loved your job"

"I do, but I fooled myself into thinking I got it on merit, and that mother's name was worth something and that's why she has preferential treatment"

Harry feels the conversation getting away from him, so he concentrates on the parts he does understand.

"All my staff choices have to go through Kingsley, I gave him several candidates each time an assignment came up, you _were_ chosen because you are the best choice, so get over yourself"

Draco might not want a drink, but Harry needed his and returns to the living room, Draco drifts along behind him, he shoves the second glass into an unresisting hand and sips from his own.

"As for the Aurors, I requested them before anything happened between Narcissa and myself (Harry wasn't at all comfortable referring to the woman as Draco's mother all the time) but Kingsley decided that she was no longer at risk and pulled all the funding, so I fund it"

"Why?" all the fight had been knocked out of him it seemed

"She protected me, I want to protect her"

The young blonde man collapses into the nearest chair and takes a big gulp of his drink, shuddering slightly at the intensity of it.

"I have also put your name forward to take the place of that miserable old fossil when he leaves, that's if you're interested? Make no mistake, I'm not doing it to put your nose out of joint, I had to give Kingsley the best, annoyingly it happens to be you"

"Purvis is leaving? Thank fuck for that, everyone hates him, but that would make me your second in command" Harry just nods and Draco finishes his drink.

"No need to make your mind up now, just ask your mum for the paperwork, I couldn't find it and then I was distracted"

"I'm still not happy about this Potter, Tori is furious with me, mother wasn't best pleased either, will you come back to the manor? It might get me out of some of the shit I'm in"

"I wasn't expecting acceptance quite so quickly" Harry smiles into his drink

"I wouldn't go that far, so will you come back?"

"Fine, but I'm coming back because, well, just because, it's purely coincidental that it also benefits you"

With a temporary truce in place, the two men head to the kitchen and floo back to Malfoy Manor.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N : I own nothing, I've made no money. (Fear of prosecution makes me write that)_

_Thanks to my Beta, Salce, who still hasn't run screaming for the hills._

_Thanks to all you lovely people who review and occasionally chat to me via PM, a little mention for __mercersburgrachel__ who is recovering from a stressful week at college._

_Hope you enjoy the new chapter_

**Chapter Ten**

Fully expecting to step out in the library of the manor, Harry was surprised to step out into a completely unfamiliar room. Posters of the Montrose Magpies Quidditch team adorn the walls, this must be Draco's room, typical that he should support the most successful team in league history.

It wasn't a bad looking room, black, silver and green decoration, a Slytherin through and through, everything looked expensive, each piece of furniture was probably worth a small fortune, the centre of the room is taken up by a sizeable bed, even with Harry's limited experience in visiting the homes of the pure-blood rich and infamous, he noticed that all bedrooms followed the same pattern, insanely opulent, with an enormous bed in the middle.

"Nice room"

"Thanks Potter, please tell me you're going to do something about that cut on your face"

Harry had completely forgotten about it, spotting the mirror he heads over to assess the damage, it was pretty superficial but had bled a lot, his attempt at wiping his face earlier had just made it worse, blood was streaked back towards his ear and had run down his neck and stained the collar of his shirt. He cleaned away the blood, the cut now an angry red mark, in the muggle world it may have required butterfly stitches, he had half a mind to just leave it and make Draco squirm.

"You do know how to heal it right?" drawled the voice, not quite disguising the note of panic

"Of course I know, but chicks dig scars" he tried hard not to laugh and was half expecting to be hit with a hex at any minute

"I don't think my mother would appreciate being referred to as a 'chick' and would prefer you to be scar free, aside from the obvious, there is no need to be such a bastard about it, and if you think you're getting an apology you can forget it, now fix your face"

Harry felt a little guilty for winding him up, but Draco needed knocking down a peg or two, it would be good for him, and with a resigned sigh he neatly fixed the cut.

"I'm interested in hearing how you're going to explain these turn of events to your wife and mother, if Narcissa is anything to go by, Astoria won't be easily fooled either"

"Don't you worry about me Potter" was that a touch of fear Harry saw on Draco's face

The blonde man storms over to the door and yanks it open, Harry nods his thanks and steps out into one of the manor's vast hallways. Harry followed him in silence, glancing at the occasional portrait, distinctive blonde hair and pointed features sneered down at him, a stern looking man tutted at him, feeling a childish urge Harry stuck his tongue out at him, sounds of disgust followed the two men down the corridor, Draco showed no sign that he had noticed. He stopped suddenly and Harry walked into the back of him.

"Watch where you're walking Potter for merlin's sake, just wait here a moment"

Loathe to do anything Draco Malfoy asked of him he just nodded, the door was opened and he just stood in the doorway, two female voices fell silent

"Draco, where have you been?" to the untrained ear the question would sound completely innocent.

"Um, well I went to cool off for a bit, and realised I'd been a bit of an arse" he coughs "then I thought I could do something about it"

"What did you do?"

Sensing immediate danger he steps back and Harry is shoved roughly into the room, he snaps his head back round to give Draco a disapproving look. The room was small and cosy, the women sat opposite each other in front of a large fireplace sipping tea, Astoria smiled at him, Narcissa, having overcome her surprise was looking at him, her blue eyes twinkling, she pats the space beside her and Harry happily sits next to her.

Draco sits down next to Astoria, seemingly forgiven she puts an arm around his waist and leans up against him. Not to be outdone, Narcissa brings her legs up onto the sofa and lays them across Harry's lap, resting herself against the arm of the chair, Astoria beams at the older woman, who smiles back.

The conversation swings round to shoes and clothes, Draco looks completely impassive, years of pure blood upbringing, Harry thought, having to suffer through endless social gatherings, he almost felt sorry for him, almost. Boredom was creeping in, occasionally Draco saw fit to add a view or opinion, Harry was impressed, not that he'd ever tell the ferret that.

Narcissa flexed her legs, stretching a little and giving Harry an idea at the same time, he surreptitiously warms his palms and places them on her bare shins, he works the muscles in her calves just the way she likes, it's a perfectly acceptable action, nothing lewd, but he knew that it had quite the effect on his witch, maintaining an air of indifference he continues to knead and caress each calf. Satisfied with his work, he shifts to the side slightly and Narcissa offers him a dainty foot, nails painted a deep red, a stark contrast to her pale skin, the flow of conversation doesn't falter at all, but when Astoria is talking he notices that she gently chews on her bottom lip, suppressing a chuckle he rubs the sole of her foot and she places the other in reach, lest its forgotten.

"Narcissa, are you all right?" she snaps to attention, a pink flush on her cheeks

"Sorry, what? I just drifted for a moment" she glares at Harry

"Draco and I are going to head home, I was thanking you for an eventful day"

"Eventful, well I guess that's one way to describe it" she gives Draco a withering stare

The lady of the house reluctantly extricates herself from the sofa and Harry's touch, she hugs them both and bids them goodnight, Draco grunts 'see you at work then, Potter' earning a reproachful look from his wife, Harry gets a one armed hug and a peck on the cheek. With the guests gone, Harry turns back to Narcissa.

"Shall we have dinner before it gets too late?"

"No, you can finish what you started, once you've massaged the rest of me you may eat"

With head held high and acting every bit the over privileged pure blood, she swishes her hair over her shoulder and walks away.

"I'm starving, what makes you think I'm just going to bend to your will?"

She doesn't respond, instead she just beckons him with her finger. An internal struggle breaks out within Harry, the desire to eat and the desire to please a certain woman, who assumes he'll go running after her without a thought. Unable to resist he hurries after her, deciding that there is no one around to witness his weakness, therefore it's perfectly fine.

The next morning at breakfast Harry gets summoned to work, he quickly finished off his breakfast, the time he saved was then spent on a long drawn out goodbye, after much kissing and assurances that he'd see her very soon, he leaves for work, leaving the blonde alone to contemplate activities for the day.

What Narcissa really needed was someone to talk to, she shuddered inwardly at the thought of seeking out the portrait of Bellatrix, and imagined how a conversation with her would go.

"Hi Bella, by the way, we lost the war, I lied to the Dark Lord, Potter wasn't actually dead, Molly Weasley killed you, and now I'm romantically involved with the very person who brought about the Dark Lord's downfall"

It really didn't bear thinking about. Andromeda wasn't an option either, Narcissa had been complicit in hiding Bellatrix from the world after her escape, and in turn Bella almost single handedly took from Andi everything she held dear, leaving her to care for a young, parentless child, another conversation that could only end in disaster, what with Harry being Teddy's godfather, she wouldn't do anything that might make her estranged sister stop Harry from fulfilling his role, Narcissa knew how much he cares for the little boy, she quite liked that side of him, the way he gets excited while talking about him.

Lost in a daydream about Harry's potential as a father, Narcissa mentally shook herself, they hadn't touched on the subject of their future. She was convinced that it wasn't just a fling, at the beginning she had enjoyed the buzz of being wanted by a much younger man, she felt alive and free in ways she never imagined possible.

As time went on she found the time outside the bedroom as much fun as the time in the bedroom, she found it easy to relax around him, to be herself, he made her laugh and constantly surprised her, unlike Lucius, he was genuinely interested in her, curious about everything, he introduced her to muggle card games, which she was very good at, and a muggle word game called Scrabble, she was pretty good at that too, he was a very gracious loser.

In return she dug out old family albums and talked in depth about her childhood and her time at Hogwarts, she couldn't avoid talking about Bella, and she remembered how he had taken her hand and told her that he could handle Bella providing it was before the madness, and subsequently treated them like two separate people. On occasion she would play Wizard's Chess, this allowed Harry to claw back a few victories, Narcissa did not like losing.

Still desperate to talk to someone, she racked her brains, sisters were not an option, but maybe there was another option, so obvious she had overlooked it but also for good reason, she remembered the circumstances, the conversations and the owls, before all contact was cut off, Draco would have been half way through his sixth year at Hogwarts and all correspondence had ceased once the war got under way.

Before her courage failed her, she hurried to her bedroom, fixed her hair and her clothes, put on a pair of sturdy heeled boots and left the room. Picturing her destination, she disappeared with a faint pop.

Appearing instantly in a clearing surrounded by woodland, reminiscent of the Forbidden Forest, ancient gnarled trees fighting for space, and a well worn path leading out to the north. The path was very overgrown, thorns clawed at her as she walked the path, she drew her wand to save her clothes, after slaying many a thorny branch, Narcissa emerges from the undergrowth and onto a fine gravel path, turning left she crunches along at a brisk pace.

After ten minutes of walking, cheeks flushed from the exertion, a hazy line can be seen in the distance, as her steps bring her closer, the hazy line comes into focus, a high grey bricked wall, topped with ornate wrought iron railings, at the break, two columns rising higher than the wall support the massive gates, the metal work is skilfully crafted to look like a rose bush, replete with thorny branches and innumerable roses, made sinister by the black of the metal.

Without slowing or breaking stride Narcissa walks straight at the gates and passes right through, ancient yew trees line the path and many beady eyes follow her progress, a large raven croaks out it's call setting off its brethren, she hurries on to escape the harsh cacophony.

The enclosed path comes to a sudden end, a large fountain dominates her view, the melodic trickling of water a blessed relief, the ravens had since quieted. Turning her attention to the house, house doesn't really do it justice, it's closer to a castle, there are towers and ramparts, the windows are arch shaped with leaded glass, the central window on the second floor is stained glass, below that, imposing wooden doors with iron hinges and studding.

Circling around the fountain she slowly approaches the front doors which swing silently open, the click of her heels seem obscenely loud in the deathly quiet of the entrance hall. Confidently the woman climbs the stairs and enters a door on the left hand side, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. The room is small and dimly lit, a fire burns low in the hearth, a high backed chair, a small sofa, a desk and two waist high bookcases are the only pieces of furniture.

Narcissa hesitantly sits herself down on the small sofa.

"I told you not to come here" the voice has a raspy quality, probably through lack of use

"It's good to see you too Mother" she replies stiffly

The chair swivels to face the blonde witch, and the chair's occupant gives her an appraising look, the firelight throws their faces into sharp relief. Now that the chair has moved Narcissa gets her first proper look at the witch, she has aged well, her face is lined but it does nothing to diminish her classic beauty, her hair flows over her shoulder and almost down to the floor, it is mostly black but streaked with white, her eyes are still in shadow and the reflected firelight makes them shine.

"You are looking well"

"I don't know how you can tell in this dim light" she ignites the candles in the chandelier "You've hardly changed at all mother, and your self imposed isolation hasn't dulled your wits"

"I am hardly isolated, I frequently travel, always using polyjuice potion you understand"

"How are you coping without Lucius?"

"It was lonely at first, Draco has his own life and career, I have my reputation mostly intact along with all my assets"

"I read in the Prophet that the Potter boy defended you, even after Lucius' confession, I bet that helped your case no end"

"Harry, I mean, Mr Potter has done much for Draco and myself" she shifts under Druella's piercing gaze

In the silence that follows an awkwardness permeates the room, the long haired old woman clicks her fingers and an elf appears and places a tray of refreshments between the two women. Druella was as sharp as ever, she knew her daughter so well and Narcissa hated feeling like a small child vying for attention at her mother's knee. Self doubt barges in, unwelcome and uninvited, maybe this was a terrible idea, she didn't really know what to say to her mother or what she hoped to hear in return. Giving the impression of having read her mind, Druella breaks the silence.

"You said that it was lonely at first, implying that you're not lonely anymore?"

Narcissa would surely know if her mother was inside her head, with no response from her daughter forthcoming, Druella presses on.

"Who is it I wonder? An occasional bed warmer, a little something to alleviate your boredom perhaps? A serious suitor? Come on Cissy, there's no need to be shy"

"Mother!" she shakes her head in disbelief

"Cissy, I don't need to use Legilimens to know why you are here and what's on your mind, it's written all over your face, you want my advice or opinion on this lover of yours"

"I don't know what you're on about" her voice is strong as she attempted to hide behind denial

"Even if I didn't know my daughter better than anyone, the mark on your neck that you so carelessly forgot to cast a glamour on tells me all I need to know"

Narcissa instinctively reaches up and runs her fingertips down the right hand side of her neck, knowing that she wouldn't actually be able to feel anything, there was nothing visible when she had been getting ready in front of the mirror, she conjures a small silver compact and flicks it open to check for the mark that betrayed her, Druella's distinctive laughter fills the room.

"You tricked me, I should have seen that coming, I can't believe you'd use such a cheap tactic"

"Would you prefer me to use Legilimancy? I didn't think so" she smirks at her daughter who looks positively livid "I'm all ears sweetheart, are you going to tell me about him?"

Narcissa opens and closes her mouth a few times trying to form the words, she reaches for a drink as her mouth has just become completely dry, all the while Druella watches her with a quiet patience.

"It's Harry Potter" her mother, usually so hard to surprise, looks taken aback, the blonde witch smirks, happy to finally have the upper hand in this exchange.

"You despised the boy, his rivalry with Draco and his uncanny ability to humiliate Lucius, you even told me how you almost hexed him yourself "

"Yes mother, I despised the boy, but not the man"

"It still doesn't explain how you could abandon Lucius so easily, you were fiercely devoted to him, and you loved each other" Druella was fighting back for some control

"It wasn't easy Mother, once the Dark Lord returned everything changed, Lucius only cared about his status within the inner circle, and with his constant failures he was willing to sacrifice Draco, and in turn the Dark Lord used Draco as punishment for the sins of the father"

Narcissa is breathing heavily, she hadn't spoken aloud about this to anyone except Bella, and she just thought it some great honour, she wondered if Bella had been a mother, would she have been so willing to send her own children to their death.

"He's married to the Weasley girl, I read about it in the paper, the social event of the year they called it, if I recall, no daughter of mine will be a mistress to a married man, you shame me Cissy" ice blue eyes flash with anger

"Yes, he was married, we had an affair, but he divorced her for me, he never lied to me about his situation, I merely waited for my opportunity, you always said that as a Black, it's a case of taking what you desire, a philosophy Bella held dear. I think even you would have approved of his slow courting"

"He's a gentleman then" Druella lets slip a derisive snort "it seems like you have it all in hand, what could you possibly need from me?"

"I'm beginning to wonder that myself" she locks eyes with the woman opposite

"I don't want to fight with you Narcissa, I've already lost two daughters, if he makes you happy, if you are happy, then what's the problem?"

It was difficult for her to stay mad with her mother, they had the closest relationship and despite clashing personalities, they were still close. The opening was there, the perfect time to give voice to her insecurities, but she was dragged back to being a child again, in the presence of this woman, in this house, it was not becoming for a daughter of the house of Black to show weakness of any kind. She was a grown woman now, pure blooded ideology long cast aside, she shook off the ghosts of her past to met her mothers inquiring gaze. She didn't know where to begin, the more she thought about it, the more trivial it seemed, embarrassing even.

"He's the same age as Draco, I'm old enough to be his mother, what if he wants to get married? Or start a family? What will the wizarding world think? He is the Boy-Who-Lived-Again, some things cannot be kept under wraps"

Druella sat and listened to her daughters fears, she didn't say a word, she just listening intently until Narcissa had finished. Rising elegantly from her chair, she sits next to her daughter and reaches her arms around her, the blonde witch allows herself to be held and rests her head against her mother, settling into the embrace just like she did as a young girl.

"Have you talked to him about this, about his intentions?" she was rhythmically stroking blonde locks, the head beneath her hand shakes side to side "Then it would be reasonable to assume that he may be dealing with his own concerns and fears?" this time Narcissa nods her head. "you may have lived longer than him, but you got your looks from me, you easily pass for a woman half your age, and I'm guessing he doesn't treat you like his mother" there wasn't even a disapproving rebuttal.

Many minutes tick by and the blonde seems content having her mother stroke her hair but is unwilling to speak, her mother breaks the silence hoping to prompt a response from her daughter.

"Is it serious?"

"I think so, I hope so, at first I thought it was just a bit of fun, I enjoyed the attention, I'd only ever known Lucius, and this is nothing like that, and I can't even begin to explain the change on the tapestry"

"The one you have at the manor?"

"Yes, I also had one made for him at Walburga's house, well it's Harry's house now, and that's the same"

"What does it show?"

"Us, him and I, linked, I wasn't surprised, after all it was the same with Lucius and I"

"It's not the same Narcissa, your link was because you were to be married"

She sits up to look her mother in the face

"What does that mean? There's definitely been no talk of marriage, I thought it was reflecting our growing relationship"

"I've no idea darling, but it can't be a bad thing" she laughs softly "You love him"

"Yes I do"

"Then, for the love of merlin, you need to talk to him you silly girl, I wouldn't worry too much about what the wizarding world thinks, you know how the game of status works Cissy, the world has changed, Harry is very influential, many would accept anything he does, some would be pleased with a union between the houses of Potter and Black, the rest will just have to get over it"

Narcissa gives her mother a squeeze, Druella always knew what to say to make things better.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N : Insert witty disclaimer here -_

_To prevent confusion, I'll just add a little note to tell you that this chapter takes place on the same day as chapter 10._

_As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and feelings, so don't be shy, review, PM, send smoke signals, whatever tickles your pickle, I'm off to write the next bit_

**Chapter Eleven**

Harry left the manor via the front door, he was certain Narcissa had altered the wards enough for him to apparate in and out as he pleased but felt the need for some fresh air. The small detail of Aurors were preparing for the arrival of the day shift, he went over and had a little chat with them, they were young, it seemed that this was being used as part of their training, he was confident they could do their job and it was nice to see his money wasn't being wasted.

They were surprised and flattered to be worthy of a small slice of Harry's time, he still hated all of the attention but over the years had learned to deal with it, most of the time it was mistaken for modesty, he was modest and that seemed to spur people on, with no end of heavy hands clapping him round the shoulder and sycophantic voices heaping praise upon him.

His lack of love for the spotlight didn't stop him having time for people, the Aurors were only doing their job, and were well paid for doing just that, Harry wanted to let them know that he was grateful, the gesture was met with mild mannered confusion, after all they didn't know the importance of this seemingly boring assignment.

Kingsley had never raised a single question to Harry about his desire to keep Narcissa safe or his insistence to continue funding the Auror presence himself, long after the budget had been reassigned, that was something else he was grateful for, Harry had nothing but respect for the Minister, he had restored wizarding Britain's faith in the Ministry and everything was dealt with in Kingley's own ' firm but fair' approach to leadership.

Walking purposefully to the imposing metal gates, the wind picks up a little and his robes billow out behind him, gathering them back around himself to keep warm he catches the faintest whiff of Narcissa's perfume, smiling broadly at the path ahead, he walks until he passes through the wards and vanishes with a faint pop.

The streets around the Ministry of Magic were almost deserted, he chose to use the visitor entrance just because he could, the last time he'd used it was during his fifth year. He picks up the receiver and dials, a melodic voice talks him through the available options and once keyed in, the floor shudders slowly down into the vast atrium.

He made his way through the hustle and bustle of the atrium, memos fly overhead and after walking past a Daily Prophet vendor yelling out the headlines he reaches the bank of elevators, stepping into the first one to become available, a familiar drawling voice calls for it to be held, reluctantly he thumps the button and a slightly flushed Draco enters panting slightly.

"Draco"

"Potter"

"Your mother sends her love"

"Go fuck yourself"

"I really hope you get your promotion, genuinely, because I cannot wait to verbally spar with you every day, I see no way in which I'll tire of that"

"Sarcasm Potter, is that the best you've got?" Draco's arrogant swagger was starting to return

"Hey, you started it, I was just passing on a message, I'm not expecting a miraculous friendship to blossom between us, after all I wouldn't want you to make it too easy for me, if that happened I would definitely have to call you on your bullshit, but there is no reason why we can't just be civil" the blonde man lets out a derisive snort

The lift comes to a halt and Harry steps out, Draco obviously has somewhere else to be, before the lift can leave he holds the door open.

"You better get the promotion, I don't particularly care for the other candidates, you are clearly better qualified, maybe then you'll believe me when I say I'm not helping to further your career, Cheer up Draco, it could be worse"

He smiles at the scowling man in the lift, the grate slides shut and the lift disappears from sight, he decides that from now on he would no longer antagonise Draco, for Narcissa's sake.

Walking down a well lit busy corridor he is forced to acknowledge many well wishers and is glad when he finds himself outside the Minister's office, he knocks on the door and is instantly called inside.

"Morning Minister, what can I do for you?"

"Morning Potter, thanks for coming so quickly, I have good news, the Middle Eastern Wizarding Hierarchy have finally agreed to replace the time-turners we lost during your unscheduled visit to the Department of Mysteries" a slight smile flickers on the face of the usually stoic man.

Harry didn't realise at the time, but when the Golden Trio and their three friends destroyed all of the time-turners during his fifth year, it had created a serious international incident, the Middle Eastern Wizarding Hierarchy, whose sole job it was to protect the fabled sands of time, had flat out refused to give up any of the sand, the negotiations had gone on and on ever since.

"What made them change their minds?"

"I did, they never trusted Fudge's regime or his promise that nothing like that would ever happen again"

"Very well done Minister" he gently inclines his head towards Harry

Kingsley places a large box on his desk between them, at first glance it looks like a sandstone block, on closer inspection Harry can see there are runes carved all over it, he reaches to pick it up expecting it to be as heavy as it looked, startled by it's weightlessness and almost creating a second serious international incident, he clutches it tightly against his chest and smiles nervously at Kingsley, who looks like he's about to have a major coronary event, apologising profusely, Harry assures him that they will make it safely to the vault of time with no further mishaps.

Backtracking to the lifts, the previously bustling corridors were empty and in no time he was walking down the corridors of his domain, stepping into the blue lit octagonal room he tightly shuts his eyes as the chamber spins to reach its destination, the room he now entered hadn't changed much since the break in, the glass cabinets, repaired, stood empty, he placed the box on a heavily warded display stand and tapped it three times with his wand. Golden beams of light criss crossed around the box and display, eventually surrounding it with what looked like a fine gold mesh, satisfied with it, Harry returned to his office.

He didn't think it had been that long since he was last in here, the pile of letters on his desk said otherwise, after a considerable time of sorting he had a pile of department mail, interdepartmental memos, junk mail and a surprising amount of personal mail. Harry felt a little bit guilty for ignoring Hermione's owls, he was pleased that she hadn't resorted to sending him Howlers, all of the personal letters were from her.

He skims through them, they all follow a similar theme and eventually he reaches the most recent, it has today's date on it, apparently she has a free day and with a 'no time like the present' attitude he grabs a quill and parchment and scribbles a hasty reply.

"Kreacher?"

"Kreacher is here young master, how may I be of service?"

"Deliver this directly to Hermione, please"

"Kreacher will deliver it to the muggleborn"

The elf disappeared with a click of his long fingers before he saw the disapproving look on Harry's face, although muggleborn was a vast improvement over his usual diatribe. With the mail and memos dispersed and the junk filed safely away in the bin, Harry left his office, he did the rounds and designated a few tasks to his subordinates, feeling happy that things would tick over nicely in his absence he made his way back home.

Stepping back out into muggle London, the light almost painfully bright after the Ministry's dimly lit interior, he walks at a leisurely pace and descends into the subway, his progress is slowed considerably by the zombie like shuffling of the commuters, to pass the time he idly glances over at the various advertising hoardings. Some time later he emerges south of the river, looking back he can see Parliament, feeling the first drops of the coming rain he apparates to the square outside his house and goes inside.

"Is that you Potter?" the front door hasn't even clicked shut

"Yes Mrs Black"

"That muggle girl you insist on being acquainted with is here" he groans quietly to himself

"I hope you tried to be nice"

"I was _civil, _you will be family soon enough, and that allows your friends a reprieve"

He can hardly believe this is the same portrait who would scream expletives and slurs at every possible opportunity, Harry's efforts to restore some honour to the house of Black had obviously gone further than he ever could have hoped.

"Technically I'm family all ready" he ventures with a tiny amount of confusion

"I instructed her to wait for you in the living room, that was a few hours ago, Kreacher provided refreshments"

"Thank you, I'll talk to you later"

Slightly bemused at the conversation with his Godfather's mother he climbs the stairs and heads into the living room. Harry braces himself for an ambush that doesn't happen, his best friend is curled up on the couch, a book lays discarded on the floor, her hands are limp but lay open as if still holding it, crossing the room, he reaches out and shakes her gently by the shoulder, her eyes flick open.

"I had no idea you were here, you should have sent Kreacher to get me, I took the scenic route home"

She stands up and without warning begins beating on his upper body in earnest.

"What the hell, Hermione, stop hitting me" he raises his hands in self defence

"I. Have. Been. Owling. You. For. Days. And. You. Ignored. Me" each slap punctuates each word

"I'm sorry, I've been busy" it sounds like a poor excuse but the young woman stops her assault

"Apology accepted" he couldn't decide if he preferred the beating or the bone crushing hug

"I wasn't ignoring you, all my mail is sent to my office and I don't always remember to collect it"

While they make small talk Harry has the chance to have a proper look at his friend, she's hardly changed, warm brown eyes, untameable hair, and a much more relaxed demeanour, she talks passionately about her students, her classes, her extra responsibilities as the Head of Gryffindor, typical that her working life is as hectic as her school life was. He felt honoured as she told him her free day was actually a requested holiday, which brought her neatly to a request for bed and board, with the aim of spending the weekend catching up, she'd also taken the liberty of inviting Ron, who unhelpfully told her that he'd be along if he could, it seemed like the Golden Trio could be united again for the first time in a long time.

Shaking his head at her presumptuousness, he was not annoyed in the slightest, in fact, it gave him a feeling similar to his imminent return to Hogwarts after having to suffer a holiday back with the Dursley's. Their eyes meet, Hermione's face a mask of worry, he assumes she fears overstepping the boundaries, unable to help himself he lets out a snort of laughter, trying to suppress his mirth and failing, it becomes a full belly laugh, her worry slowly fades and a smile takes its place and she grins sheepishly up at him.

"Well seeing as you are moving in and taking over, I'll show you what I've done with the place and show you to your room"

With that he leads the way up to the top floor, walking down the landing he points out Kreacher's room before showing her the pristine bathroom, a far cry from the damp ridden mess it was during their few months here. He thought he may have to physically remove her from the room, she was looking at the immense bathtub with a deep longing.

Offering her full use of the facilities once she's settled is enough to get her moving, Harry throws open the next door, the very room he had used during Narcissa's first time sleeping over, since then it had been tastefully decorated, bright and neutral, perfect for any guests, Hermione is suitably impressed.

"Have you got everything you need?"

"My bag is down in the living room"

After all this time she is still using the little beaded bag with the undetectable extension charm, he can't help smiling at that.

"Can I see what you've done to the master bedroom, you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their personal space" she nudges him in the ribs, he rolls his eyes

"I suppose I can indulge your nosiness this once" she gives him a look of mock hurt

They walk a short way down the hall and Harry opens the door allowing Hermione to enter.

"What does my room say about me?"

"It says you are a Gryffindor, you're channelling your inner pure-blood, I have to confess I wasn't expecting you to be flying your house colours so boldly, Sirius would be proud but what is that?"

She marches into the room to get a better look at the bed, then turns her scrutinizing gaze to the drapes.

"I see, it all makes sense now, one question, did you decorate this room before or after things started with Narcissa?"

"After, I must stress that the room was fine, it just needed a little something"

"A little something to impress a pure-blood witch by the look of it, a lot of Gryffindor for him and a little Slytherin for her, you've got it so bad, it's actually quite sweet"

"Shut up and get out of my room" giggling triumphantly she obliges "Have you seen her bedroom?"

"Yes"

"And what was that like?"

"I , um, can't remember, I was...distracted" Hermione wears a knowing smirk as Harry succumbs to bashfulness.

The pair make their way back to the second floor, instead of walking straight into the living room, Harry stops by a closed door, Hermione looks at him questioningly.

"I want to show you something, I've not shown anyone before"

That wasn't strictly true, but Draco didn't count, Narcissa had given him the gift, she was allowed to see it, it felt right letting Hermione in on this, he loved her like a sister, she was as good as family in his view. He opens the door and they both step inside, the lamps burst into life.

"Harry, this is unbelievable, it's nothing like the one downstairs" he nods at her as she walks around the room, mouth hanging open.

"Before you ask, Narcissa bought me this before anything happened between us"

"Speaking of Narcissa, I notice you are linked, very cosy" she traces the line with her finger

"Lets go back to the living room, I can tell you are dying to talk about how it happened"

Hermione sits back on the couch, Harry grabs two butterbeers from the cabinet, pops open the top and hands it over, he sits down heavily in his chair and takes a drink. Brown eyes watch him attentively, waiting patiently for him to start talking.

"What I didn't realise about this place, is that even though I am the recognised owner, it remains in the Black family, on a whim, and fed up of being alone in Malfoy manor, Narcissa came to visit her Aunt, and to see if there were any family items she could claim, what she didn't expect was to find me here."

Hermione listened to her friend speak, sipping occasionally from the bottle in her hands, she was much amused to hear he got caught naked in the hall, and congratulated him on his ability to make an impression, red faced he presses on, he talks about how they took turns making each other dinner, and how it progressed from there. He touched upon the game nights, elaborated on things when questioned, until the events caught up with the present.

"I'm still appalled that you cheated on Ginny, I wouldn't have thought you capable"

"I didn't plan it" he replies heatedly "I hadn't seen her for months, I can't even remember when we stopped writing, it became the norm, the Quidditch season would begin and she'd move back up to Wales, after that I wouldn't see or hear from her till the season ended, it's as much my fault as it is hers"

"I'm sorry Harry, I really don't want to lay guilt on you, I'm just surprised still"

A brief pause to take a drink, he relaxes his jaw, he can't blame her for feeling that way, like most people, she thought he and Ginny were destined to be together, and never in a million years would anyone have predicted these events.

"How did Ginny and the Weasley's take the break up?"

"Pretty well, Molly blamed herself for rushing us into it, I think Ginny was just relieved, after all I've lived through she just couldn't bring herself to end it"

A tension creeps into the atmosphere, unwilling to let it settle, Hermione asks the question she's dying to know the answer to.

"Does Draco know?" after a few moments of uncontrolled laughter, he answers

"Oh yes, he caught us kissing in the Library, we duelled, it wasn't as exciting as it sounds, she asked me not to hurt him and Astoria made Draco back down, if you can believe that"

"She must mean a lot to you, the Harry I know would have just blundered in, it's nice to see you've finally grown up"

"Can I change my mind about you staying?" he grumbles

"No! You bloody well can't" she aims a playful slap at him that's easily avoided

They finish their drinks and carefully place the bottles on the table, for now the conversation is over, the silence comfortable, the brunette reaches across and squeezes his hand.

"All that matters is that you're happy, no one can take that away from you"

"I am, I just hope Ron shares your way of thinking"

"I'm curious though, what is she like once you get past the icy, pure-blooded exterior?"

She almost wished she hadn't asked as Harry waxes lyrical about the woman in his life, Hermione had to admit that she had never seen him this animated, he exuded happiness, and it felt well deserved, when he eventually runs out of things to say, he takes a breath.

"Do you know what I fancy?"

"You mean other than Narcissa Black?"

"Oh, that's very funny, really mature, I was thinking more along the lines of food, I want bacon and eggs, lets go to the kitchen and I'll make us a late lunch"

Hermione sits at the large table and Harry searches for a frying pan and some oil, soon the kitchen is filled with the sound of sizzling bacon. The door to the kitchen opens, a figure, ducking slightly to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe, steps into the room. Harry turns round to look at the newcomer.

"Brilliant timing as always Ronald, I reckon he was just waiting for the smell of food before coming round"

Hermione gets up from the table and gives the lanky ginger haired man a friendly hug, before they both take a seat at the table, Harry lends half an ear to the pair chatting and catching up, Ron talks about the shop and Hermione brings him up to date with all the goings on at Hogwarts. He had to admit that he had missed them both terribly and it was a good feeling having them both here with him.

A loaf of bread, butter, knives, plates and condiments are placed on the table, followed by a large platter filled with crispy bacon and perfectly fried eggs, Ron's table manners are still shocking, if he was ever in a position to repeat this scenario with Narcissa present he would either need to have stern words with Ron, or just prepare his witch for the absolute worst.

"Anything new with you Harry?" spoken as usual through a mouthful of food

Hermione gives him a pointed look and in his haste to swallow he finds himself coughing and spluttering, the brunette thumps him firmly on the back, he thanks her, eyes streaming, to avoid the question a little longer Harry gets up and fetches Ron a glass of water.

"Cheers mate, I needed that"

"No problem, How's the family, how's Ginny?"

"They are fine, Mum keeps hassling me to check in on you, make sure you're eating, you know, usual Mum stuff, no idea about Ginny, I think I heard Dad talking, she seemed to think it was for the best"

Harry felt a weight lift, he hadn't felt guilty per se, but it was nice to know she was moving on.

"Tell your Mum I'm eating just fine, I'm well looked after, although don't you make her think I'm not grateful that she cares"

"Ok, I'll get her off your case" Harry and Hermione shake their heads, Ron knows nothing of tact

"Hurry up and finish Ron, I'm itching for a few rounds of Wizard's Chess, I've been practising"

"I admire your misplaced confidence, it will make victory all the sweeter"

"It's a good job I have some books to read and papers to mark, you two children will just have to keep the noise down" and with that she breezes past them and out of the room.

Ron and Harry can't help laughing together, it was just like the old days, Ron gave Harry a run down of all the latest Quidditch scores as they made their way to the living room. Hermione was already buried in a sizeable tome as the two men spilled into the room, silenced by a brown eyed glare, guilty smiles mirrored on their faces.

The chessboard and pieces are retrieved from the sideboard, Ron has already picked his seat and moved the table into position. Harry realised quite early on that Narcissa was pretty dire when it came to Wizard's Chess, Ron was what muggles would refer to as a grand master, Harry threw in the towel after his fifth crushing defeat, he was finished off so swiftly, five games hardly seemed like anything.

"Yes, you won, no need to look so damn smug"

"You said you'd been practising"

"I should have said that I'd just been playing more"

Harry packs away the chess pieces and board, Ron leans back in the chair, linking his fingers and placing them behind his head, Harry scowls at him, he may feel like a bad loser, but there was such a thing as a bad winner.

"How are things going with that girl you were seeing?" Hermione appears from behind her book.

"Not bad mate, just taking things slowly" unseen by Ron, Hermione gestures to Harry

"I'm seeing someone"

"Nice one mate, climb back on the broom, no point in dwelling on the past, is it anyone we know?"

"It's Narcissa"

"Man, I don't think I could date a girl with the same name as Draco's mother, it's a bit close to home, still she's definitely a MILF but she birthed the ferret and that's a turn off"

Hermione's mouth is frozen in an 'O' Harry is at a complete loss, Ron's brain seems to catch up with his mouth, the silence that follows is deafening.

"Shit, you're fucking Narcissa Malfoy aren't you?"

"It's Narcissa Black now" Hermione informs him

Harry nods slowly, Ron turns a brilliant shade of puce. The situation is explained to the hapless ginger, his initial shock turns to blokeish admiration fast enough to make anyone's head spin, Hermione can only manage to slowly shake her head at him, it had been a long time since they had experienced a 'vintage Ron moment' first hand. More than a little relieved to have both of his friends on side, the mood lightens in no time, they reminisce about old times, raucous laughter spills out from the room.

As the time approaches dinner time, Harry and Hermione beg Ron to stay, having promised to head home for dinner with the family, he politely declines, they all troop down to the kitchen to see him off, after Ron's departure, the two remaining friends cook a meal and decide to call it a night, parting with a hug before heading into their bedrooms, as the latches click into place, Grimmauld Place falls silent.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N : I own nothing, I know this, you know this, but just in case some legal eagle wants to bring about my financial end, I will write a disclaimer._

_Well here it is Chapter 12, I'm constantly amazed to have so many people following along with my poorly written ramblings :o) apologies as always for 'Tense Blindness' _

_I find your support invaluable, I appreciate every follow, favourite, review and PM, so thank you for that, hope you enjoy this next bit, I absolutely loved writing it. In fact I got quite carried away, I hope you can forgive me as it will carry on into the next chapter, I tried not to leave it hanging too much._

**Chapter Twelve**

Narcissa decided not to stay with her mother that night, choosing instead to return to the manor, the thought of actually spending the night in that place filled her with dread, even the idea of sleeping in the room she'd grown up in was laughable, not that there weren't many other rooms to choose from, with each step she took away from Black Manor the less she felt like a scared child, the chill wind buffeted her face, her hair flowed out behind her, with each breath she felt more like her old self, it had been good spending time with her mother but perhaps next time she would invite her to Malfoy Manor instead.

She wanted Harry, unfortunately Kreacher had informed her that the Golden Trio were having a little bit of a reunion and she wasn't quite ready to join in with that, with a resigned sigh she heads to her bed chamber. Too weary to bathe, opting to treat herself first thing in the morning, she carefully untangles her hair, the wind had not been kind, she enjoyed the mundane act of brushing out the knots before tying her hair up loosely, she shrugs off her clothes and slips into an unflattering pair of silk pyjamas, there was little point in making an effort only to sleep alone.

In her bathroom she adheres to her nightly rituals, she looks over at her bed as if it's somehow to blame for her having to sleep by herself, she throws back the covers and climbs in.

Sleep is an elusive mistress, she lays awake, her rational mind whispers patience, when morning comes and she is rested, she will go to Harry and all will be well, her irrational mind is screaming at her to punch patience right in the face, floo to Grimmauld Place and slip into bed with the man to whom she belongs.

As she lay still trying to quiet her busy mind she thought about what the future might hold, she wasn't against the idea of remarrying, in fact it appealed more than the first time, it would be her choice and she found that empowering, but children, that was something else entirely, once Lucius had an heir all further talk of children just disappeared, secretly she would have liked a girl.

She woke up suddenly not even realising that she'd fallen asleep, judging by the brightness bleeding through the thick curtains it was still early morning. She had been dreaming, it was a good dream, as she closed her eyes she could still see a little girl with black hair and green eyes.

Hermione woke in an unfamiliar room, the bed was vast and incredibly comfortable, she had slept well, as she moved there was a tiny reminder of her alcoholic excess, nothing a cup of coffee and something to eat couldn't fix, she shuffled to the edge of the bed, standing up to stretch away the remnants of sleep, her eye is drawn to a scrap of parchment tucked under the door, she crosses the room to retrieve it, unfolding it carefully, her eyes are met with a familiar scrawl.

_Hermione,_

_I've gone out, I shouldn't be too long, as always, make yourself at home._

_Harry._

Her mind wanders to the wonderful looking bathroom, she can almost feel her body relaxing after a long soak in that massive tub, but first food and drink, she pulls on a pair of shorts and a loose fitting shirt, she searches her bag for headphones and her portable music player, she plugs herself in and selects some tunes, tucking the small rectangular object into the shirt's breast pocket, she leaves the room and heads down to the kitchen

Once in the kitchen she raids the pantry, this morning she fancies pancakes, she places the ingredients on the side and searches for a mixing bowl and a frying pan. The coffee is a slightly trickier problem to solve, so she resorts to magic, one percolator, freshly ground beans, milk and sugar fly from their respective hiding spots and land neatly on the sideboard.

Lost in the music she shimmies over to the sink to run the cold tap, the coffee percolator is old fashioned and looks like part of a mad scientist's chemistry set, she fills part of it up with water, places the coffee in place and pokes the burner with the tip of her wand, yellow flames appear and slowly the water begins to heat up.

She dances back over to the mixing bowl and makes a rudimentary batter, stopping briefly to forage for fruit, pleasantly surprised to find a punnet of blueberries, adding the whole lot to the mix she oils the pan and lights the stove. She sings along to a catchy tune as she waits for the oil to reach the correct temperature.

Narcissa rose gracefully from beneath the bubble laden water, her skin coloured pink from her toes to her neck, she liked her bath hot, she breathes in the heady aroma mingled with the steam, slim fingers grasp her towelling robe and she wraps it around herself, tying the cord tight around her middle, she flicks her hair forward, deftly, she gathers it up in a towel and secures it atop her head, she steps out into the relative cool of her bedroom and sits down at her vanity.

Firstly the head towel is removed, holding the material firmly in her hands she frisks her hair dry, she uses it's residual dampness to make styling it easier, pleased with her efforts she stands and rests her left foot on the chair, a drawer slides noiselessly open and she takes her favourite nail polish and carefully paints her toe nails. With her feet done she sits back down and files her fingernails before applying the glossy red paint to them.

She shrugs the robe from her shoulders and pulls the cord loose, it falls from her and over the back of the chair, she crosses to the dresser and selects a classy set of red lace briefs and matching bustier, she collects her chosen dress from the wardrobe and lays it on the bed to make it easier to remove it from its hanger, she steps into it and slides it up her body, pleased with the fit she picks up her wand and fastens the zip.

Narcissa walks to her full length mirror and wonders whether or not the ensemble would look better with stockings, eventually the choice is made for her as she is unable to locate the suspender belt that matches her underwear, slightly frustrated that the summoning charm hadn't brought the elusive item out of hiding. Next comes the choosing of footwear, she finds one of her favourite pairs of open toed heels and places them by the door, she returns to the vanity to apply a touch of make up, nothing too extravagant, she smiles at her reflection and gently presses a tissue against her lips to blot any excess lipstick.

She slips her shoes on and leaves her room, she quickens her pace as her impatience gets the better of her, she strides purposefully across the vast entrance hall and into the library, she throws a handful of floo power into the flames and moments later she steps out into Harry's kitchen.

The sight before her causes her to stop dead, the young woman in front of her is doing something that could loosely be referred to as dancing, she is also cooking, Narcissa inhales deeply and instantly regrets leaving her house without eating, something smells really good.

The Granger girl remains unaware of her presence, she takes in her appearance, she is barefoot, the shirt just about covers her backside, she can't tell if she's wearing shorts or just boy cut briefs, she experiences a flare of jealousy, she is not pleased to see so much of the muggleborn on display.

Hermione turns round with a plate in her hand, the plate falls end over end before shattering on the tiles, brown eyes widening as her jaw goes slack, she fumbles for the headphone cord and yanks the earpieces loose, oh shit, how long had she been standing there? She could feel the hot flush rising, she knew she'd been dancing, she was grateful she hadn't been singing, swallowing hard she attempts to wet her mouth and find her voice. Without uttering a word Narcissa withdrew her wand, the repaired crockery glides gently through the air back on to the side.

"Miss Black, I had no idea you'd be visiting today, I have the house to myself, Harry has just popped out and I was going to have a bath but needed a drink and some food, so I hadn't bothered to get dressed properly, I'm so embarrassed, please have a seat, can I fix you anything?

Her voice a little bit higher than she would have liked and she babbled like a fool, stuttering was kept to a minimum, she extracted her wand and with a few careful flicks adjusted her clothing to something a bit more appropriate for entertaining guests. The blonde takes a seat at the table, Hermione's eyes are drawn to icy blue ones, Narcissa is pleased to hear that the girl is home alone, and saddened by Harry's absence, the girl's obvious nervousness is amusing, her manners are adequate, this could be an opportunity to mend a few fences, she had no issue with being civil, she wasn't quite ready to set the young woman at ease however.

"The coffee smells very nice Miss Granger, I would appreciate a cup"

"Of course"

With slightly shaking hands, Hermione found what she hoped would be a suitable mug for the pure-blood, she even remembered to ask how she took her coffee, unsurprisingly she takes it black. As she serves the drinks she takes the opportunity to cast her eyes over at the older woman, there isn't a single part of her that isn't immaculate, not a hair out of place, or a crease on her dress, she assumes that she dressed with Harry in mind, but Narcissa just looks so elegant and classy, Hermione feels slovenly in her presence.

"Miss Black?" she had picked up a copy of the Prophet and was flicking through, her perfect features impassive, her chin resting lightly on her hand, she looks up to meet the source of the question. "Would you like join me for breakfast? I'm making blueberry pancakes"

"Yes please, I didn't eat before I left, I was in a hurry, will Harry be back soon?"

"I'm not sure, he left me a note, it was vague"

The young brunette manages a weak smile and is glad to have it returned, the witch went back to browsing the paper, manicured red nails beating a quiet tattoo on the wooden tabletop. She gives the batter a little whisk and places the pan back on the heat, she was a little bit annoyed with herself for being so easily intimidated.

As the pancakes cooked and the plate beside her filled up, she hoped Harry would come home soon, at first it was a desire born from this uncomfortable situation, which would be diffused the second he walked in, but now she just wanted to see him interact with Narcissa, curiosity outweighed everything else.

She places the plate of pancakes in the middle of the table, and a smaller plate for Narcissa and herself, she made one last trip for syrup and cream before sliding into a chair opposite the older woman. Hermione rolled up her sleeves, grabbed the nearest fork and tucked in with gusto, as she chewed she stole glances at her dining companion, even the way she ate had a certain majesty about it. Narcissa had noticed she was being observed, it was only natural that Harry's friend would be curious, she was also interested in the young woman, as she looked over, her eyes were drawn to the ugly slur carved into the woman's arm, Bella always left an impression on those she met she thought sardonically, and how does one start a conversation with someone who has suffered so much at the hands of her family? She had a desire to make things better, but could it be done, she wanted to win the girl over for Harry's sake, more importantly she wanted to do so without taking any short cuts.

"You are curious about me, Miss Granger, and possibly a little bit angry, you were disappointed with Harry for the circumstances of his break up, but easily placed all the blame on me" she moves to speak, Narcissa silences her with a raised finger "I confess that my part in saving Harry was purely selfish, I found out about the room of requirement afterwards, and beyond that I rarely gave any of you a thought, don't misunderstand, I know what you did, and I'm grateful, thanks to you, I have my freedom and my son. I assure you that I did not plan any of this, did Harry mention how our paths crossed?"

Hermione just nods, a forkful of food suspended halfway between plate and mouth, surprised at the openly candid speech from the ice cold witch, she remembered the incident at Madam Malkin's, she was convinced a duel was about to break out and seriously doubted Harry's ability against the woman, instead there were thinly veiled threats, insults and snobbery. Many years had passed since then, her brain just didn't have the capacity to imagine Harry and Narcissa together.

"Our first meeting was awkward and brief, he seemed unhappy, I too was lonely, we had shared something in the forest, we were indebted to each other I suppose, I wanted the company more than anything, despite my selfish reasons we became friends, we never talked about the war if we could help it, I never asked what he'd told his friends about that night, or why he hadn't turned to them, I knew all wasn't well at home, I made the first move, I do not regret it, I feel I have a lot to prove, acceptance will not come easy, and I fear he will lose many friends for being with me, I will not force him to do anything he does not want, but I'm not just going to go away"

What on earth could she say to that? She pops the fork into her mouth and chews

"Tell me, what happened when you tried to heal your arm?" she points to the mark on her arm, Hermione is surprised by the sudden change of topic, it catches her off guard

"It hurt a lot, the wound reopened and took a long time to heal, even with the aid of Dittany" the sleeve is rolled down to cover the scar, her tone suggests it's not up for further discussion

"When was the last time you tried to heal it?"

"The last time? The only time I tried was after our escape, when we reached a safe house"

Narcissa just nodded, Hermione looked angry and slightly disgusted with her, Bella had still been alive when she'd tried to remove it, there was a slim chance that the curse may have broken, or at the very least weakened since her death. She felt like she was walking on very thin ice, she didn't want to alienate Harry's friend, any of his friends for that matter, she would not put him in a position where he would have to choose between them and her.

"I'm sorry for what you endured at the hands of my sister, in her own twisted way she was only trying to protect me, we were always close, all three of us were, but as the youngest, Bella doted on me, and in turn, I idolised her. I'm not trying to excuse what she did, I assume that you know more than I about what scared her that day"

Hermione just nods, she holds Narcissa's gaze, the cold blue eyes break away, the blonde believed that the girl needed the mental victory.

"Your sister was a monster"

"She may well have been, but I am not, give me your arm" perhaps it would be prudent to appear a little bit more human, she sets aside her fork, smiling slightly, she holds her hands out towards the brunette "Please Hermione" a flicker of shock as she hears her name fall from those red lips "Bella was the brightest witch of her age, I believe that title is yours now, but I know my sister better than anyone and I think I can help, I will not lie, it may hurt"

With much reluctance she holds out her afflicted limb, Narcissa holds her gently by the wrist and rolls up the sleeve, she runs her thumb over the damaged skin, she can feel Hermione's muscles tense but the arm remains in her possession, she holds her wand tightly and rests the tip against the scar.

She recalled several counter curses, many of which were Bella's own design, she hoped that this particular curse was also one her sister had created, she remembered a bastardised version of the permanent sticking charm, she had been inspired by muggle body art, she uttered the words to the counter curse whilst tracing her wand over the letters, Hermione cried out, blood ran and dripped onto the table, and then it was over, she cleaned away the blood and healed the cuts, fresh tears streaked the young woman's face, her hands balled into fists,

Narcissa releases her grip and the arm is withdrawn, the woman opposite hugs herself tightly, eyes still closed, red nailed fingers pick up the fork and poke at the remains of the food on the plate, she would wait for Hermione to regain her composure in her own time.

"Thank you" it's barely a whisper

"You're welcome, don't let it alter your opinion of me, I know you care about Harry, and I assure you that I care for him as well, it's only natural that you are wary of me and sceptical of our relationship, I wanted to make amends for what Bella did, but I did not do it so that I would win your favour, do you understand?" She nods mutely "Good, I must say, those pancakes are quite possibly the best I have ever eaten"

"My mother taught me how to make them"

The blonde smiles warmly at her, she places her knife and fork neatly on the plate and slides it to one side and refreshes their drinks.

"Your mother taught you well, I have experienced muggle cooking, Harry took me to a very fancy place in London for one of our dinner dates" Hermione couldn't be sure if she imagined it, but it looked like Narcissa was blushing slightly "will you be staying for the weekend?"

"Yes, what are your plans Miss Black?"

"Call me Narcissa, I was hoping to see Harry, I promised to go and see Draco later and as long as I'm welcome, I planned to come back here, now we've got past a little of the unpleasantness, I can come out of hiding, so to speak, so please don't be shy Hermione, I would be most disappointed if you didn't challenge my intentions or ask difficult questions"

Her surprisingly warm smile is eclipsed by the coffee mug as she drinks deeply.

"It's a lot to take in, when he told me, albeit unintentionally, I struggled, you're just so, well just look at you, and Harry, I know he's matured, but I have so many memories of him rushing head long into situations with literally no thought processes occurring, I know opposites attract, but-"

Hermione gestures with her hands and searches for the words, her blonde counterpart laughs and she joins in despite herself

"I guess I'm just curious how it works" she finally manages

"As I told my mother, I liked the buzz of being wanted and desired again" it's the brunettes turn to go a little pink in the cheeks "it was gradual, his genuine interest in me was refreshing, the vast differences in our upbringing always surprises, we are constantly learning, we play muggle card games, we talk, I can come out from behind my armour, I won't discuss certain topics, but I think he brings out the best in me, I feel young" there is a sparkle in those brilliant blue eyes.

"It's still a struggle to imagine Harry as the boy who turns out to be a gentleman, I know he scrubs up well, I think I'm tainted by how much time I've spent in his company, you'll be pleased to know that his bad habits are few and far between"

With the ice well and truly broken, the two women found conversation enjoyable, it was still early days but Narcissa couldn't have hoped for better, she talked a little of Hogwarts when she was a girl, and yes, McGonagall was just as strict then as she was now, she avoided talking about her sisters wherever possible, but the subject was always going to come up, apparently she could remove the physical scars but not the mental ones.

"Narcissa, can I ask you about Bellatrix, I just want to try and understand, it might help me"

"If you must" she does a poor job hiding her dislike of the topic

"There are a few things I would like to know" Narcissa gestures for her to continue "How did she survive Azkaban? Sirius used his animal form and the knowledge of his innocence to keep himself together"

"I honestly don't know, she never talked about it"

"She was responsible for what happened to Neville's parents, I've read about Azkaban and the Dementors, even the worst criminals couldn't escape from reliving their crimes and there hasn't been a single case in which a prisoner didn't feel remorse, no one can be that evil, you even said Bellatrix was capable of love" Narcissa could feel the colour draining from her face

"All I know is that she was there and there were three others, her husband, his brother and Crouch, it never made any sense to me, why keep them alive, why leave the boy unharmed? That information died with those involved, I hope the rest of the knowledge you seek makes for a lighter conversation, now if we can move on please"

Hermione offers to refill their cups, the offer is gratefully received, an excess of caffeine was possibly not the best idea, a slightly shaking hand takes the cup.

"I think I know where this conversation is going, but I will allow it"

"Sirius, she hit him with an Avada before he fell into the veil, did she really hate him that much?"

"Quite the opposite, they were thick as thieves growing up, but you need to understand what it's like to be a pure-blooded woman, your role is to marry into a respectable family and birth a male heir, my father had three daughters while his sister had two boys, my father was ashamed, he took it out on Bella mostly, she was extraordinarily talented, her power unrivalled, I would even go as far as saying that my father feared her, so he became more creative with his punishments. You must understand that I am only guessing, this is purely conjecture on my part, I therefore assume that my father would mention Sirius and Regulus while he beat her, Regulus died, only Sirius was left, she blamed him for her treatment at the hands of my father"

Narcissa dabs at the corners of her eyes, Hermione has the good grace to look elsewhere as the blonde composes herself. She had gone to great lengths to forget about her father's brutality, she never imagined she would ever manage to talk about such things freely.

"This is the last thing I want to know, I'm sorry if this is painful for you Narcissa, but why Nymphadora? She told us that she had never met her Aunt, Bellatrix was after her from the moment we moved Harry, the night of the seven Potters"

"I don't know"

"Then guess, like you just did"

"Have you met Andromeda?"

"Yes, we took a portkey from her house, it was before Ted went on the run"

"What did you think when you first saw her?"

"Harry drew his wand on her, I was startled at first, but the subtle differences became more pronounced, she could easily pass for Bellatrix"

"My father never knew she was going to run away, Bella did, she caught Andi and Ted kissing at school, she was furious, but she never told our parents, once she had run away, father suspected that she knew, I think that was the point when he finally broke her, she never told him what he wanted to know, but Bella wasn't the same afterwards, my father destroyed her, Lucius' father was a great potioneer and it was only his skill that kept her alive, I found out bits of this from mother. I believe that Bella wanted to kill Andromeda, she never got to fall in love like Andi, she never had the chance to become a mother, Bella certainly never cared about her husband, it was a business contract and nothing more, over the years she harboured nothing but bitterness and hatred for Andi, it's safe to assume that taking Nymphadora's life would seem like a fair exchange for all that she had lost, I also think that Andromeda would have accepted her fate at Bella's hands, not only to save her daughter, but as a thank you for all the years of happiness she gained from Bella's silence"

The two women sat silently with their thoughts, Narcissa rubbed her eyes with the heel of her thumb, Hermione actually felt better, she could hardly believe the woman opposite had indulged her curiosity with such detail, she wanted to reach out to her.

"Harry is besotted with you, I asked him about you the other day and he just lit up, he and Ginny seemed so happy in the beginning, and I hate to admit it, but it pales in comparison to what I've seen recently, I think you are good for him"

What could have been a perfect moment was disturbed by the noisy arrival of a scruffy haired, bespectacled man. He looked completely surprised to see the two women sat at the table, he couldn't even feel any tension.

"Sorry I was so long, I hope I'm not interrupting anything"

"It's ok, we've just been talking, we had breakfast and coffee, where have you been?"

"I'm disappointed by the lack of tea, I went out Hermione, I left a note" she looks mildly annoyed at his evasiveness but doesn't press for further information.

As he passes by Hermione he playfully ruffles her hair and she slaps his hand away, chuckling he walks round to Narcissa and kisses her on the top of her head, he grabs a mug and starts making a cup of tea, the blonde witch leaves her seat and crosses the room, Hermione grabs the Daily Prophet just in case she needs something to distract herself with, or hide behind.

She had always been curious, nosey even, her mother used to tell her that curiosity was the rope from which she'd hang, before laughing at her daughter's embarrassed face, pulling her into a hug and assuring her that it was a sign of intelligence, she watched Narcissa approach Harry, she wraps her arms around him, not meaning to eavesdrop, but unable to shut it out, the woman says quite simply that she had missed him.

"I've missed you, tell me you're staying"

"Yes and no, I promised to see Draco, and then I'll be back"

"I saw him at work yesterday, he was fine, I gave him your love, won't that do?" he looks at her hopefully

"You must stop teasing him, what did he say? Do I even want to know?"

"He told me to go forth and multiply"

"He told you to what? What does that even me-, oh, I understand, I'll wash his mouth out"

Smiling at the woman in front of him, he gently places his index finger under her chin and lifts her face up, placing a kiss on her pursed lips, a second kiss and the witch's expression softens, a tiny whimper escapes her when he pulls away, she places her hands on his broad shoulders, one finds a spot against his neck, she can feel his heart beat against her palm, the other is tangled in black hair, she pulls his lips back onto her and deepens the kiss, a non too subtle cough comes from the direction of the table, it sounds suspiciously like 'get a room' it goes unnoticed.

She kisses along his jaw and rests her chin on his shoulder, he holds her tight, she sighs in his ear, content to just be held.

"I'm going to go and see Draco and doing that won't work" she bites her lip as a hot mouth latches onto her neck "the quicker I go, the quicker I get back" she makes a half hearted attempt to push him away.

"Harry, will you please put the poor woman down, she'll be back before you know it"

"Thank you Hermione"

"As pleased as I am that you seem to be getting along, you don't need to gang up on me"

Reluctantly he lets her go, she kisses him tenderly on the cheek, he catches her lips once more, and she bids the two friends farewell and steps into the green flames.

Harry lets out a heavy sigh and returns to making himself a cup of tea, picking up his cup he turns to the table and the woman watching him over the top of the paper.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just been a very strange day, sit down, enjoy your tea and I'll tell you all about it"


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N : I own nothing your honour._

_Chapter 13, I'm not superstitious but I really hope this chapter doesn't suck._

_Thanks to mercersburgrachel for constantly poking me with the stick of inspiration, and all who review and suggest stuff, you are all wonderful._

_Enjoy xD_

_**Update** : I've made a few changes, tried to erase some of my tense blindness, specsavers don't do glasses for that I'm afraid_

**Chapter Thirteen**

Harry's cup of tea stood forgotten and cold, for the umpteenth time he ran his fingers over the spot on Hermione's arm where Bellatrix's mark used to be, at first it was amusing but now her elbow was beginning to ache, she had no choice but to pull her arm free. Harry smiled, embarrassed, he fumbled for the handle of his cup and took a swig, grimacing slightly, a quick heating charm made it drinkable. He looked over at his friend, she's lost in thought and staring off into space, he waved a hand up and down vigorously in front of her face.

"What's on your mind? You completely zoned out just then"

"Even after seeing you together, I still can't quite believe it, I mean, you and her, she's so intimidating and yet you are more comfortable with her than you ever were with Ginny"

"Intimidating?"

"Yes, she scares the shit out of me, she has a presence that fills the room, piercing eyes with none of Dumbledore's warmth, her tone of voice almost has the same effect as McGonagall's, and yet I saw all that melt away the second you came home"

He thought on what Hermione had just said and drained his mug, setting it down. Truth be told, he was so used to Narcissa being around, everything she did had slipped into the realms of normality, but this was the first time she'd had to deal with anyone from his circle of friends.

"I think she was braced for hostility, you have every right to feel that way, but that's not what she's like now"

"I know, I was shocked at how open she was with me, and she saw fit to help me, what did you do to open her mind?"

"I don't think I had that much to do with it, I think it started with the way her family was treated during the war, Lucius played a large part in changing her priorities, he was willing to sacrifice everything to regain his status, for her the price was too high"

"She cares for you so much, she's worried that your relationship with her will turn your friends against you"

"I've thought about it, some won't be able to deal with it, others will come round, as long as I have you and Ron, I think I'll survive the backlash, it's time for me to have something I want for a change"

"We might have to prepare Narcissa for her first meeting with Ron, or just avoid giving him any kind of food when she's around"

"I shudder at the thought, right Miss Granger, we can't spend all weekend stuck inside, Narcisssa won't be back until after dinner tonight, I think I'll treat us to some lunch, Diagon Alley?"

Hermione left the table and headed up to her room to change, Harry needed to retrieve a few things from his own room and soon they were walking down the entrance hall, a brief exchange with Mrs Black and they step out into a warm and pleasant day, he offers his elbow to his female companion, who curtsied and took it, seconds later they walked, laughing into the Leaky Cauldron.

Tom greeted them both warmly and they happily accepted the free drinks, they drank their butterbeer at the bar and ordered some lunch, they moved over to a table, occasionally, people would drift over to them for a few words, they saw a few of their old school friends, when the socialising was over the barman appeared with their food, they ate at a leisurely pace and once finished they stepped out into the back yard and opened up the archway. They walked arm in arm along the cobbles chatting.

"Are you actually going to tell me where you went the other day, or what's in those boxes you are carrying?"

"I went to get these" he gestures to the boxes

"Very helpful Harry" she playfully barges him with her shoulder

"Ok, I'll stop teasing you" his face becomes solemn "after the battle at Hogwarts, a group of Aurors sent by Kingsley gathered up all the wands of the fallen, friend and Death Eater. We didn't know what to do with them, they were just locked away under my guard, somehow they even managed to get Tom's wand but that will never see the light of day again, I decided that the best thing I could do was return them to Ollivander"

They meandered along the street, Hermione pulled him over to look at the displays in the windows, this was going well until they reached the front of Quality Quidditch Supplies, the whole window was dressed up to display the broom of the moment, it took all her strength to pull Harry away from it.

"Don't give me that look, when was the last time you flew a broom?"

"I can't remember, and there's no reason to look so smug"

Grudgingly he allowed himself to be steered away from the shop, and was half dragged towards the familiar frontage of Flourish and Blotts.

"I don't believe there can be a book that you haven't already got or already read"

"For your information, I need a few books for school"

She pushes through the doors and Harry follows her dutifully, thankfully she knows exactly what she wants and with the transaction complete they step back outside. They continue on their way, they both look up as they pass Gringotts, exchanging guilty looks, they hurry past. It occurred to them that neither of them had set foot in Ollivander's since they first came here to purchase their first wand, Harry stepped forward and pushed the door open for Hermione, somewhere in the depths of the shop a bell tinkles.

"Mr Potter, what an unexpected surprise, and Miss Granger, what can I do for you both today?"

Harry walked over to the counter and placed the boxes down in front of the ancient wandmaker, his eyebrows raise up above those unnerving silvery orbs, Hermione and Ollivander watched as Harry tapped each box with his wand, returning them to their original size, he gestured for Mr Ollivander to open them.

"It's good to see you again Sir, you are looking well, these are all the wands that were recovered after the battle for Hogwarts, we didn't know what to do with them, and I thought you might like them"

"Very kind of you Mr Potter, no sign of the elder wand or Mr Riddle's wand I suppose"

"No, I'm afraid not Sir, we believe they were destroyed during our last two duels"

Ollivander held Harry's gaze for a little bit longer than was comfortable before returning his attention to the wands of the fallen. Minutes pass, the wandmaker seemed to have forgotten about his visitors, the pair decided to depart and leave the strange man to it, they say farewell and it's acknowledged with a small wave.

Diagon Alley feels refreshingly cool after the dimly lit and somewhat stuffy shop interior, Hermione let out a short burst of laughter.

"That was awkward, as we are so close, shall we visit Ronald?"

Upon entering the luridly coloured building they were greeted by dozens of indoor fireworks, a banner stretching from one side of the shop to the other informed them of the special offer, Harry plucked one from the air and threw it between his hands before throwing it back up into the air. A black haired girl in the joke shop uniform approached them, her face changed almost instantaneously as she recognised them, stuttering slightly she offered to help them with anything they wanted, unfortunately Ron was out so they politely asked if she could let him know that they had visited, she was more than happy to oblige, she shook Harry by the hand and pulled Hermione into a hug, it was brief but the bushy haired brunette looked a little shaken, her smile was more a grimace, they thanked her and left in a hurry.

They didn't head back to Grimmauld Place straight away, they did some more window shopping, and made a few small purchases, Harry tried his best to discreetly buy a box of Narcissa's favourite chocolates, but Hermione had finished browsing and came back just as he was paying at the counter.

He did his best to ignore the knowing looks and smiles aimed at him, as they walked back towards the Leaky Cauldron he managed to distract her with an ice cream from Florean's, soon enough, they stepped out into muggle London and apparated to the square outside number 12 and headed inside, Walburga was fast asleep in her frame, the pair tip toed past, lest they wake her.

Hermione headed up to her room and Harry descended the stairs to the kitchen, he made them drinks and carried them up to the living room, he checked the clock and was surprised to see that it was fast approaching 5pm, still too early for dinner as they'd had some ice cream not that long ago, deciding that he would try to beat Hermione at a game of Scrabble he collected it from the cupboard, when his companion returned he was disappointed to see her carrying a large pile of parchment.

"Let me guess, school work needs marking?"

"Yes, sorry, I thought I could catch up while we caught up"

"I guess I could play Solitaire, on my own, by myself"

"Don't you dare try and make me feel guilty, you could help me"

"How?"

With a flick of her wand a comparative essay landed in Harry's lap.

"It's simple, it's first year stuff and you just need to check for errors and compare the content against the parchment I just gave you"

He scanned the document, it all seemed pretty straight forward.

"Hermione, this is your essay"

"Yeah, my marks have set the benchmark, it was McGonagall's idea"

He chuckled as she turned an interesting shade of red, she cleared her throat and sorted the pile, handing half of them over, Harry summoned a quill and ink and set to work, it was much easier than he first imagined and felt another pang of regret for not taking up teaching.

The pile of work was dwindling nicely when Kreacher appeared with food, feeling instantly starved, the work was soon abandoned, they ate mostly in silence, Harry was impressed with Kreacher's efforts and had grown quite fond of the elf, towards the end of the meal Narcissa had returned, Harry's eyes didn't leave the woman until she had crossed the room to sit beside him.

Unable to stop smiling, she kissed him on the cheek and pinched a cut of meat from off of his plate, she placed it in her mouth and licked her thumb and forefinger suggestively.

"Would you like anything?" he makes a move to recall Kreacher, but a soft hand stops him

"No thank you, I ate with Draco and Astoria"

Narcissa kicked off her heels and stowed them beneath the sofa, Harry finished with his food and put the plate down by the side of the chair, he put his arm around her waist and pulled her close, he kissed her head, breathing in her scent, she pulled her feet up and settled against him and into the embrace, her eyes fluttered closed as he gently teased his fingers through her hair.

"How was Draco?"

"A little annoyed, he's still getting used to the idea, Astoria is pleased for us, and that doesn't seem to improve his mood. What did you and Hermione do today?"

"We went to Diagon Alley to drop a few things in to Ollivander's, then we shopped a bit, which reminds me, I have something for you"

She sat up and allowing him to move, he walked over to the sideboard and returned with a box, he hands it to her and sat back down. The box was white and gold, it shimmered, she ran her nails under the edges of the box, unsealing it, inside was another box, deep red in colour, upon seeing it she clutched the box to her chest and drummed her feet on the back of the sofa with childish glee.

"My favourite, not sure I know what I've done to deserve these, thank you, you know me so well"

Narcissa leaned back across Harry's lap and pulled him in for a kiss, as their lips part she stroked the side of his face tenderly, the outer box was soon discarded and the red box is opened, she peruses the contents and slips the selected chocolate between parted red lips. She selects a second and pushes it into Harry's mouth, he mumbles a thank you and she shakes her head at the lack of manners, she holds the box out to Hermione along with a recommendation.

"Oh my, they are good" the blonde smiles and nods

"How about a friendly game of Scrabble? I'm quite taken with that muggle game"

"Friendly game? Don't be fooled, Narcissa makes it more brutal than Wizard's Chess"

That earned him a slap on the arm, laughing at the pair, Hermione set aside her paperwork and placed the board on the table, the room was silent except for the occasional click of plastic tiles, Harry looked at the tiles in front of him with disgust, his letters looked like a scream of pain from a comic book, he was glad when the game ended, Narcissa just edged a victory over the younger woman, they elect to have another game while he decides to sit it out.

The second game was interrupted half way through by the noisy arrival of one Ronald Weasley. He was carrying a bucket of chicken from some take out place, and munching away on a greasy thigh, blissfully ignorant of the captive audience in front of him, Harry and Hermione traded looks of horror with each other and mouthed silent apologies to the blonde witch.

"I'm guessing you have already eaten so I picked myself up some food on the way, Charlotte told me you came into the shop today, I've brought doughnuts and some drinks for this evening, I left them in the kitchen"

He stopped talking, the way he stopped walking gave the impression he had walked into an invisible barrier, his eyes darted around the room as they took in the scene before him, Hermione was wearing a sort of rictus grin, Harry just smiled in earnest at his friend, Narcissa remained the picture of composure.

"Oh bloody hell" the lanky ginger swallowed his mouthful and to the disgust of everyone, wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"Evening Ron, good day?"

"Yeah, not bad Mione, what did you think of Charlotte?"

"Please don't call me that, I hate it" she looks to Harry for support "She's nice, exuberant, I'm guessing that she and you" she didn't need to finish her sentence, Ron grinned and nodded "well I'll say this, she's better than Lavender Brown"

"You're not wrong, no idea what I was thinking, she was mental"

Ron collapsed into an empty chair and continued to devour the remains of his chicken bucket. The women returned to their game, after a few turns, Narcissa asked Harry to take over for her and excused herself, before she departed she whispered something in his ear and gave him a peck on the cheek. When it was safe to assume the coast was clear, Hermione leaned towards Harry.

"Where has Narcissa gone?"

"She's going to have a bath"

"I have been wanting to do that all day" there was a slight whine in her voice

"I promise that you will have it all to yourself tomorrow" he crossed his heart with his forefinger

"I'll hold you to that"

"Ron?"

"Yeah mate"

"Can you just take over from me, currently you're winning"

He pushed his Scrabble letters into Ron's unresisting hand and walked out of the room, two pairs of eyes watched him leave.

"Where the hell is he going? I've only just got here and he's sodded off"

"Ron, you can be so incredibly dense"

Harry rushed up the stairs, the door to the bathroom was still ajar, she hadn't made it that far yet, he opened the door to his bedroom, she didn't turn around, she's sat at the dressing table brushing her hair, he walked up behind her, the carpet muffling his footsteps, she didn't bat an eyelid when he scooped her hair to one side and kissed the shell of her ear, he gently nibbled on the lobe before kissing down her neck.

"I had hoped you'd follow me"

"I couldn't resist, I've missed you"

She turned to face him and held out her hand for him to take, his soft, warm fingers ran down hers and he grasps it in a firm but gentle grip, he helps pull her up and she stepped right into his personal space, she pressed her body flush against his. Warm hands roamed across her upper back, she shimmied her shoulders hoping he gets the hint to move down her back, she bit her lip as he resumed the attack on her neck, teeth grazed over her pulse point making her release a small moan.

Narcissa let out an unexpected squeak of shock as strong hands cup her backside, he lifted her up and sat her on the dresser, several items get scattered unceremoniously to the floor, thumping softly onto the carpet, hands starting at her hips move to her waist, they slid effortlessly across the material of her dress and across the plane of her stomach, her breath caught in her throat as they moved upwards, he lingered at the swell of her breasts, her back arched and she wrapped her legs around him trying to press her body closer to him.

"You will not distract me from my bath" the breathlessness of her voice betrayed her conviction

"I wasn't planning on it, I was coming to scrub your back" he kissed her parted lips, her hot sweet breath filled his mouth

"For a time I was worried my choice of clothing was going to be wasted"

Harry straightened up to look at the woman, she points to the zip at the nape of her neck, with that undone the dress slid off her shoulders and pooled around her waist, her pale skin glowed and hungry green eyes blazed with lust, she pulled at his t-shirt, untucking it from his waistband, he helped her pull off the clothes from his upper body, she ran her nails down his chest to his toned stomach leaving a trail of red welts.

She relished the effect that had, muscles twitch beneath smooth skin, she licked her lips and kissed along his collar bone and down his chest, she kissed along the scratches she had made, soothing them with her soft lips.

With shaking fingers the clasps of her bustier relinquished their hold and the item was swiftly removed, she gave Harry quite a predatory look as she raised her arms and draped them around his neck, his chest rose and fell rapidly as she pressed her voluptuous curves against him.

"Bathroom, now!"

He nodded, temporarily struck dumb, he made it to the door on autopilot and instructed Kreacher to run a bath suitable for his Mistress, the delighted elf is only too happy to oblige. Turning back to the room he caught a glimpse of a very naked Narcissa wrapping herself in a robe, smirking at the look on his face she threw something at him and he snatched it out of the air with a seeker's instinct, the red lace passed through his fingers and once released, drifted to the floor.

"You threw your knickers at me?" she grabbed him as she passed and they almost fall into the hall.

Giggling like kids they crashed into the bathroom, enveloped in thick perfumed steam, he yanked the cord of her robe, it fell open, he helped remove it and threw it to the floor, his trousers and boxers quickly join it, she was already sliding into the hot water, she slipped forward and Harry slid in behind her, she settled comfortably between his legs before laying back against his chest, his arms encircle her torso, unable to resist the temptation, his hand ran up her inner thigh, the other across her chest, she threw her head back and their lips met, kissing greedily with tongues fighting for dominance.

The act of bathing was long forgotten, Narcissa shifted her position, the battle for control has long been won by her, water and suds pour over the lip of the bath, both are past caring, allowing her more animalistic side to rise to the surface she left her mark, timid at first, Harry had kept up with her, she would have a few marks herself in the morning and she would happily wear them.

In the cosy bliss that followed Harry soaped and scrubbed her pale skin, and she returned the gesture, she adored the feeling of his fingers as they worked the shampoo into her scalp, clean and exhausted, they dried and returned to the bedroom.

Narcissa walked naked to the bed and sighed at the sensation of the cool sheets caressing her heated flesh, Harry joined her, she positioned his arms so that she was cocooned against him.

"I love you Narcissa"

"I will never tire of hearing you say that, I feel so lucky"

"You deserve it, I can't thank you enough for what you did for Hermione"

"It was my pleasure" kisses peppered her neck, her body reacted with a shiver of pleasure

"I'm planning on seeing Andromeda and Teddy tomorrow, I'll come home as soon as I can"

"OK, good" she kissed him "I do miss Andi, maybe one day we'll be able to put the past aside"

His arms squeeze her tight, he can't see the tears that sprung up at the corners of her eyes, feeling happy and reassured she slipped into sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N : it's not mine I tell you, just a bit of whimsical fun_

_Thanks to all who are still following, favouring and reviewing, thanks to mercersburgrachel, having unintentionally, but successfully, applying for and getting the job of muse._

_I felt the need to kick things up a gear this chapter, I like it, hope you do too._

**Chapter 14**

Harry awoke and with tired eyes he looked down at the woman sleeping on his chest, she looked younger than normal in this sleepy state, angelic even, he couldn't fathom how she could be comfortable, he smoothed her hair with his hand, her eyes fluttered behind closed lids, he admired her form pressed tightly against him and longed for this to be an everyday occurrence, he wanted to wake up to her every morning.

He willingly stepped onto that train of thought, his marriage to Ginny had been relatively straightforward, in many ways it was just like a muggle ceremony, he had a feeling that it would be as far from that as possible should he declare his intentions for Narcissa's hand. Would she even entertain the idea of marriage? After all, they had been perfectly happy just being together.

It seemed that his train of thought also had a catering trolley but instead of food it was packed full of tiny details, the proposal, well it would have to be something pretty momentous, he couldn't actually recall proposing to Ginny, the rings had been heirlooms, given to him in front of everyone during a Weasley dinner, they had just smiled at each other and slipped them on.

Rings! Maybe he could get Hermione to help him with that, as his mind drifted he remembered a selection of jewellery in his vault, it wasn't that he didn't want to spend money, but they may be magical and perfectly suited for the task, it couldn't hurt to have them appraised.

He felt warm, his skin was definitely heating up and his heart was racing, it was nerves, it had to be, Narcissa stirred and her pale arm slid around his torso, she sighed and settled. He was nervous, but he didn't mind, this was right, a grin crept across his face, he craned his neck forward, it was just enough to allow him to kiss the top of her head. Harry was eager to get on with his day, but he didn't want to wake his sleeping witch and if he was honest with himself, he didn't want to move from her either. He thought about how best to organise his day, top of his list of priorities was Andromeda, if he could just win her round, she would be invaluable to him, he knew their father was dead and that was a blessed relief, by all accounts the man was a vicious and cruel bastard, he had never asked about her mother, he wondered whether he'd have to ask her for Narcissa's hand, he also worried about all the other possible hurdles and pitfalls that could be in store for him, today he hoped to find out, providing Andromeda didn't hex him right out of her house.

Regardless of how things went with Andromeda, he would head to Gringotts from there, despite it being a Sunday the goblins treated it like any other day, if by some miracle he managed to find something in his family vault all that remained was a place to take her so he could propose properly, he had no ideas, he briefly considered going back to where it all started but the thought of going back to Aragog's hollow didn't appeal one bit.

The Quidditch world cup was due to start soon, there was every chance that he could obtain tickets, there was no way he would ever want to turn his declaration of intent into a media sensation, he had never enjoyed being the centre of attention, besides, he didn't want to wait, the world cup was a few months away, he was so deep in thought, he didn't notice that Narcissa had woken up, blue eyes looked up at him lovingly.

"It's far too early to be so deep in thought, what are you thinking about?"

"Morning, I was just trying to organise my day"

She moved herself back up the bed and laid her head on Harry's pillow, she ran her fingers through his tousled bed hair.

"You are only going to see Andromeda and Ted, how much organising does that task require?"

"It's the things I want to do after I visit them, that's what needs organising"

"I thought you were going for a quick visit and then you'd come back to me, will you be gone all day?"

Narcissa had a pout that would make a petulant child green with envy, Harry found it amusing and proceeded to break her resolve with affection, she was stubborn to a fault and her attempts to hold him away were almost successful, they tussled, she was surprisingly strong and he lay pinned, not that he minded, the view was superb, she whispered seductively in his ear, his body betrayed his desire to leave.

With an effort he reversed the situation, the blonde tried ineffectually to regain her former dominance, it was Harry's turn to whisper in her ear, he told her that if he wasn't able to go she would inadvertently ruin her surprise, he felt bad for using a cheap trick against her but it worked and she relented, he laughed as she bombarded him with questions, she made a few hollow threats, and vowed to question Hermione after he had left, despite his insistence that the poor girl knew nothing. He kissed her and she responded in kind, they kissed each other fiercely, she broke away from him much to his chagrin, she slid from the bed and padded to the bathroom, she stood in the doorway.

"Hurry back"

With that, the door closed, he shut his eyes and tried to imprint her image onto his brain, shaking himself out of his reverie, he proceeded to dress, then he headed to the kitchen.

Hermione was already awake, she sat eating toast and drinking tea, she offered him a cup and some toast, he ate quickly, between mouthfuls he warned her about the impending interrogation, this turned out to be a terrible idea, if possible, Hermione was even more curious than Narcissa, he assured her that he would let her in on the big secret when the time was right, and that he may need her before the day was over, this added more fuel to the fire, in the end he practically ran for the front door, shouted a farewell at a shocked Walburga and once outside he apparated to Andromeda and Ted's house.

The door was opened before he could even raise his hand to knock, apparently he had been seen walking down the path from the upstairs window, Teddy was positively bouncing up and down at Harry's arrival, he barely managed to wave to Andromeda as he was pulled upstairs and into the young boy's bedroom, he had a thing for muggle toy cars and LEGO, he sat down cross legged and the boy copied him, they built fantastic structures and smashed them down with the cars.

Eventually Andromeda appeared and rescued him, they went down to the kitchen and she busied herself preparing drinks, they chatted about what they'd been up to since the last visit, he told her about his weekend with Hermione, Ron was mentioned but he kept quiet about Narcissa.

With drinks in hand and a sizeable chunk of cake they went into the living room and sat down, Andromeda filled Harry in on all Teddy's exploits at school, it wouldn't be long before he received his letter from Hogwarts, he also wanted to ask Harry if he could teach him to fly because he really wanted to play for whichever house he was sorted into. The witch seemed to be in good spirits and now seemed like a good time to change the subject.

"Andromeda, Could we talk about your sister?"

Her whole posture stiffened, she set her cup and plate on the table, Harry was once again reminded of her resemblance to Bellatrix, he wished that he had phrased the question better, all he could do now was wait for the woman to speak and then try to smooth things over. She got up unexpectedly and crossed over to an impressive looking Welsh Dresser, she opened one of it's cupboards and removed what looked like a picture frame, she returned to her seat and handed it to Harry.

"That was the last picture taken of us all together"

Harry looked at the smiling girls in the picture, Bella and Andi, so like twins, Narcissa, so similar to her sisters in some ways but also their polar opposite, her blonde hair shone next to the darker shades of her older sisters.

"I assume you know a little of my family" he nods but says nothing "my father is dead, I would say he probably died while you were in your second year, I know mother is still thriving, no idea what her views of me are, Bella wasn't always twisted, father turned her into a monster, she took almost everything from me, I heard she left quite an impression on Hermione" Harry moved to open his mouth but was cut off "I don't know what else I can tell you, don't think I don't remember how you reacted the first time we met, I can't even begin to tell you her reasons for killing Sirius, they got along just fine when they were children, I don't need to be reminded of my sister's work, I live with that loss every single day, I assumed you knew me well enough to not even entertain the idea of chatting about that evil bitch"

With her rant over, she looked around just to make sure Ted hadn't walked in, satisfied that they were still alone she turned back to Harry, he had lost the colour from his face, she was breathing heavily, she relaxed slightly in her seat but the set of her jaw was still firm.

"I actually wanted to talk about Narcissa, I'm sorry, I should have made that clear" he kept his voice low and even.

"Oh"

That was all she said, the anger in her face was replaced with confusion but her curiosity was piqued, she wondered where this conversation was headed.

"I wasn't expecting that, I just assumed it was Bella, so many still live under her shadow despite her being gone, sorry, I should have known you wouldn't have been so thoughtless, I'm interested to know why you want to talk about her, I know you were very vocal about how she should be treated at the end of the war, I read about it, I always thought it was odd, perhaps now is the time I find out"

Harry had no reservations about telling Andromeda all about the events in the forbidden forest, she was impressed that her sister defied the Dark Lord and essentially helped bring about his downfall, she told Harry that she almost wished Bella had survived the war to learn of her sister's transgression, at the same time she was devastated by how badly Bella had been used, her whole life spent being manipulated, first by her father, then Voldemort and everything she believed was all a lie.

"I was staying at your Aunt's house, well I suppose it's my house now and Narcissa came to visit, unaware that I was there, and we became friends" he paused to consider how best to proceed

"I am shocked that the ice maiden is capable of friendship, not as shocked as I am that you entertained the idea"

"As I said, her motives were selfish at first, but she's changed now, she misses you"

Andromeda was wholly unconvinced, she shook her head in disbelief

"She is obviously using her friendship with you to try and get back into my good graces"

"It's not like that, she managed to erase Hermione's scar, she did it off her own back"

"I still don't understand why you defend her to the hilt, one good deed doesn't undo all the bad ones"

"You make her sound as bad as Bellatrix"

"She may not have killed or destroyed, but she stood by and let it happen"

The conversation was rapidly becoming a heated argument, Harry knew that it was going to be an uphill struggle.

"Yes, she turned a blind eye, but if Bella had come to you, would you have turned her over to the Dementors? Not to mention that Voldemort was living under her roof, she did what she had to do to survive"

"OK, I concede your point, but it still doesn't explain why you care"

Harry shifted under her intense gaze, there was no way to avoid the truth, so he sucked in a deep breath and blurted out.

"I love her and I want to marry her, we've been together since before I split with Ginny" He had made peace with his infidelity but still felt the burn of shame.

"You and Narcissa are romantically involved?"

The witch looked at him incredulously, she laughed but it quickly died down when she saw the sincerity on the young man's face

"You're serious?"

"Absolutely, it wasn't planned, it happened slowly, we were both lonely, I can't explain it but she completes me"

"This is a lot to take in Harry, I know it's a big thing to ask, but could you show me your memories?"

"Legillimancy? I'm awful at Occlumency, and there are things you probably don't want to see" he couldn't stop himself blushing.

Despite being reassured many times he still felt nervous, this wouldn't be anything like his lessons with Snape, that was an attack on his mind, this time he was a willing participant. She wasn't lying about her skill, it was a strange sensation.

Andromeda carefully browsed Harry's memories, she saw their first meeting, the dinner dates, the card games, as the relationship grew she could feel the strength of his feelings and saw those feelings returned, she saw the sister she remembered from her childhood, happy and carefree, a few tears ran down her cheeks, and the connection was over.

"That wasn't so bad"

"I promised I'd be careful, I can scarcely believe it, she behaves like a love sick teenager, I assume you would have rather Draco found out differently?"

"You saw that? It could have gone better, but it worked out in the end"

"You are sure that this is what you want?"

"Positive, when Ginny went away to play Quidditch I rarely missed her, I thought it was because I accepted her choice of profession, but after a few weeks of having Narcissa visiting I counted the days until the next visit, I missed her when she was gone, if that was how I felt before we became an item, I really don't want to be without her now"

"What about the age gap?"

Harry couldn't help but grin despite himself

"I don't think it's a problem, we have plenty in common, our differences help, she can relax around me, she challenges me, it's like finding my missing piece, she just wants to be happy and I make her happy, she hopes that she can put some of her skills to use at St Mungo's, she is determined to erase everyone perception of her, her determination is one of many things I adore about her"

Satisfied with his answer she stood up and left the room, telling him she would be right back, her footsteps got fainter as she walked down the hallway, Harry heard the front door open and close, Teddy came in for a drink and Harry went into the kitchen and made him a glass of juice, Andi had cleverly laid out some cake for the boy and he hopped up on to the stool at the counter to eat, the closing front door announced the return of his Grandmother.

"Teddy, I need to go out with Harry, I won't be long, Martha is going to look after you while I'm gone"

He mumbles OK through a mouthful of cake, the short, thin woman with mousey hair and a friendly face just smiled at them, Harry gave her a polite nod and he readied himself to leave, they didn't speak until they were out of the house and some way down the road.

"Who was that woman and where are we going?"

"She's my neighbour, she helps me out, she's a muggle, which makes things entertaining as for where we are going, I think it will be more fun to leave it as a surprise"

An uneasy feeling seeped into his stomach, a quick check of the surroundings to ensure no one would see them apparate, she offered her arm and hesitantly he took it, they appeared in a clearing, the tall and twisted trees blocked out most of the light. Andromeda was already a fair distance ahead and he had to jog to catch her up, in no time they left the dirt path for a gravel road of sorts.

The gates came into view before the house and Harry knew instinctively where she had brought him, this could only be Black Manor, an involuntary shiver ran down his spine as they passed the gate into the vast grounds.

With a less than satisfactory warning that they may not be welcome they found themselves in front of the vast doors, the witch placed her hand on the wood and they silently swung open, she crooked her finger at him to follow and they headed inside.

"Well Harry, are you ready to meet your future mother in law?"

"Not even a little bit"

"She will probably already knows we are here, she usually holds court in a room up the stairs"

To Harry the climb to the top seemed mountainous, his stomach was doing back flips, mentally he felt fine, Narcissa was worth it and this would get him one step closer to his goal, before they alighted the stairs, Andromeda took it upon herself to make the young man look a little more presentable, for which he was most grateful.

They reached the top and they walked towards a door on the left, Andi entered without knocking and he followed without question. The room was small and cosy, a fire blazed in a vast hearth, standing in front of the fire with her back to them was a tall woman, her incredibly long hair stopped just off the floor, she slowly turned to face her guests, Harry saw where the Black sisters got their looks from, despite her age, and he would never even dare to guess, she was a very beautiful woman, her eyes looked over at her daughter and lingered long on Harry, he got the impression she was trying to make him squirm.

"Hello Mother, it's been a long time"

"Andromeda, what an unexpected surprise, and who is this young gentleman?"

"You know very well who it is"

"Then please introduce us, or have you forgotten the manners you were raised with"

Both women stared daggers at each other, the room was stifling, Harry surreptitiously loosened his collar, Andromeda ended the stand off, shooting her mother a final glare.

"Harry Potter, this is my mother, Druella Black, Mother, this is Harry Potter, as well you know"

A smirk played across the old witch's face, she motioned towards the chairs and took a seat.

"It's very nice to meet you Ms Black"

"Likewise Mr. Potter, I have been hoping to meet you ever since Narcissa visited"

"You wanted to meet me?"

"Oh yes, my daughter is very much in love with you Mr. Potter, I thought she would bring you herself, but it seems you've sought me out, which means only one thing"

Harry didn't care for the smile on Druella's face, the light from the fire cast shadows making her eyes look like black pits, he glanced sideways at Andromeda, her face was unreadable but her eyes told him to continue. He cleared his throat, the sound was loud in the quiet of the room, his nerves were jangling

"I would like your permission to marry Narcissa and your blessing"

"I'm impressed, adhering to tradition, well mannered, and not one but two requests of me"

Druella rose elegantly and stood before Harry, she commanded him to stand and with legs like jelly he did as he was told, he couldn't have been more complicit under the imperious curse, cold fingers gripped his lower jaw, vice like, before he was able to utter a sound a familiar sensation hit him, she was in his head, for what felt like an eternity she searched his mind, he attempted to push her out but it was futile, she wasn't gentle and he had no control over what she saw.

When she finally released him Andromeda was on her feet with her wand drawn, Druella just laughed and sat back down.

"How dare you treat Harry in such a disrespectful manner, you have no idea how much he's done for Narcissa and myself"

"I do know now, I saw what I needed, and I will consider your request Mr. Potter"

"Mother, stop playing games"

"It seems Andromeda aims to suck the fun out of everything, very well, I shall see you at the wedding Mr. Potter, best you get on, I couldn't help seeing that you have wedding rings to procure"

Just like that they were dismissed, Harry was practically dragged from the room, Andi was furious he could almost feel the anger radiating off her, they returned to the clearing in the woods.

"I can't apologise enough, she had no right, she is lucky that the Ministry aren't storming the place, they must know she's alive and well"

"I might have had something to do with that, I requested that your family were to be left alone, the only reason Malfoy manor was raided was because of Lucius, I couldn't stop that"

"It's more than she deserves, she has the nerve to tell me about manners and then barges into your mind, I was just about to hex her when she let you go"

Harry and Andromeda went their separate ways but not before he gave her a friendly hug and asked her to pass it on to Teddy, promising to visit again soon. Diagon Alley was eerily quiet and the short walk to the entrance of Gringotts was uneventful, he was shown to his vault with polite indifference, he stepped inside and lit his wand, he walked over to where he had seen the jewellery on his previous visit, after many minutes he had made no progress, the sum of all of his knowledge when it came to rings was that he knew which items were rings, so he took all of them and one gut churning cart ride later and he was back in the main hall.

Unsure of who to approach he merely glanced around at the goblins working the counters, from the door he watched a goblin examining jewels, the next one was weighing gold, the one next to him was examining a necklace through an eyepiece, Harry approached the counter, he coughed to gain the attention of the creature.

"Can't you see I'm very busy Mr. Potter, so hurry up and say whatever you have to say so I can return to my work" Harry did his best to ignore the rudeness and keep the annoyance from his voice

"Sorry to disturb you but I wanted some rings appraised"

Harry held out one of the items to the scrutiny of coal black eyes, after a pause he said

"Very well, follow me please"

He was led into a brightly lit side room, the goblin sat at the table and gestured for him to sit opposite, Harry laid all of the rings out on the table top, the goblin examined each one in turn, turning each one over between long, thin fingers, eventually he had handled each one and after setting the last ring down he looked up.

"They are all goblin made, the craftsmanship is exquisite, passed down through several generations of your family, I'd wager"

The goblin didn't even try to hide his distaste over what he perceived to be nothing short of theft.

"What is it that you are after Mr. Potter? Perhaps then I will be better equipped to help you"

"I'm looking for his and hers wedding rings"

The goblin pushed two very similar rings towards Harry and away from the rest, the pattern running around the band seemed to be alive, it was hard to determine what the design was like.

"These should suit your needs, they are very old and crafted specifically for marriage, the couples who used these rings were separated only by death, their love endured"

"How do you know?"

"The metal speaks to those who understand it Mr. Potter"

"Thank you, I insist that you keep the rest, consider it payment for these"

The goblin looked at Harry as if for the first time.

"You are a very strange wizard Mr. Potter, despite the break in, you are still respected among most of my race, I will ensure this most generous act reaches the ears of my people"

He stood and bowed, with the meeting over he left the bank. Before returning to Grimmauld Place he visited Magical Miscellany, he was fortunate to find two ebony boxes, with a small modification they held the rings perfectly, satisfied he headed home.

He walked through the front door whistling a jaunty tune, he took the stairs two at a time and walked into the living room like a conquering hero, the women didn't even turn in his direction, slightly deflated he went and sat next to Narcissa, she moved her legs for him, he tucked himself in under them and kissed her on the cheek, a smile flickered at the corners of her mouth. The game of scrabble was close to the end, a war was being waged and the English language was the weapon, he glanced over, half of the words looked made up.

"Would anyone like a drink?"

Taking the resounding silence as a 'No' he gently moved Narcissa's legs and got up to fix a drink, the sound of pouring liquid drowned out the clicking of the tiles. He picks up his glass and takes up his favourite spot by the window, he hears the unmistakeable groan of defeat, it would do his witch good to lose sometimes.

Pale arms snake around his waist and hold him tight, he sighs at the feel of her body against him, and the warmth of her against his back, with some difficulty he managed to turn to face her, a whispered 'I missed you' as he captures her lips.

"Missed you too" she whispered back, slightly out of breath

"Shall we sit down?"

Narcissa headed back to her seat, Harry passed the drinks cabinet and placed his glass down, he quickly catches her arm before she can sit down, she looks at him with a puzzled expression on her face.

"What are you doing kneeling on the floor?"

With a flourish he produced a small black box from the depths of his robes.

"Narcissa Black, will you marry me? I want to spend the rest of my life with you"

He carefully opened the lid, the silver band glinted in the darkness of it's setting, Narcissa's mind was reeling, she reached for the back of the chair to steady herself, there was only one answer to that question.

"Yes"

She slipped the ring onto her finger with shaking hands and dropped to her knees, overcome with emotion she was glad when Harry held her close, he smiled at Hermione who looked on the verge of tears.


End file.
